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As of yet Aion has only received one game update and the necessary stabilization patches after said update's release, bringing it up to version 1.5.4. What you saw in that recent trailer is supposed to be Aion 3.0, so its still a good ways off, glimmering on the horizon. That being said, NCsoft is a big company with alot of clout, and the game will likely get alot of attention over the next few months due to that fact alone. They dont want it to fail, I assure you... Now that we're well past launch, the bot/spammer problem is being dealt with, and things are mostly stabilized, expect to see some big patches coming out in the new year, maybe even late December. |
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Ordo Elysea is a group of like-minded individuals who have agreed to share and follow a common vision of how to act and interact with each other / the rest of the game's population in Aion so as to maximize the enjoyment and satisfaction that they take from playing. Particular emphasis for this legion is placed on roleplaying (RP), and all members are expected to remain in-character (IC) when speaking or interacting in public channels. Our legion's concept follows a loosely military framework in keeping with the militaristic leanings of what a legion should / is meant to be in Aion lore-wise. As a RP Legion, Ordo Elysea expects to journey through the beautiful world of Aion with as much player immersion, and as little interruption to that immersion, as possible while still enjoying all available content to the fullest extent. We try our best to create a deep, compelling and open-ended Legion story-arc, which will be driven completely by member involvement. We hope that our efforts will create such a suitable and conducive RP environment that each of our members will feel themselves to be an integral part of Ordo Elysea's story no matter when they join the ongoing story, nor what role they choose to play in it. We are happy to welcome anyone and everyone who enjoys RP into our Legion; it does not matter if they are new to roleplay or old hands with years of experience, casual, family-oriented players, or hardcore PvP junkies. As long as you want to roleplay in the Aion game-world there will always be a place for you in the Ordo. We like to think of our collective selves as a friendly, enthusiastic and helpful bunch, seeing each other often, working together towards a common goal and willingly helping each other out when asked. That's the way we like it, and we are opposed to being the kind of group with a ton of members who are strangers, that rarely see each other in-game, have no real common purpose and only stop to help when it’s most convenient. In the interest of maintaining legion solidarity and activity, we hold weekly meetings (which, while attendance is not mandatory, are an excellent place to meet and interact with others in the ranks). We are also a founding member-legion in a growing coalition called Elysea’s Aegis, which is an organization intent on creating a cooperative effort on Lumiel’s lightside between legions where PvP events and actions are concerned. If you are interested in joining our ranks, you can check out our website here: http://ordoelysea.mmoguildsites.com/ You can also look us up ingame! Here are the names of people you can contact for information on the legion. Brigadier General: - Bastian Centurions: - Binkin Thanks in advance for your interest in Ordo Elysea! |
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Yea yea, theres a slew of these reviews out there already, but whatever, ive got nothing to do until the 20th when my headstart account goes live, and I dont really wanna burn myself out on the gameplay just yet, so here we go. DISCLAIMER: Ive only played the 1-20 level range on both sides thus far, so this review is mainly on that.
1) Stability - 8.5/10 Now, ive played and participated in more than a few betas (Lineage 2, EQ2, WoW, and others), and have spent the past eleven odd years playing every major MMO on the market since UO was big. The first thing that impressed me about Aion was the cleanliness of it all. As far as betas go, im used to seeing sluggish bug-ridden messes (which gradually improve over time after going live (see: EQ2/WoW/AoC/CoH etc). The fact that there are very slight lag hitches and rubberbands now and again keep it from being a perfect ten in the stability dept. but otherwise, the game seems very clean and playable, and im fairly confident that at launch, it will perform admirably on most, if not all, mid-high range systems/connections.
2) Graphics/Sounds - 9.5/10 Simply put, Aion is stunning. There are a couple minor clipping issues here and there with regards to hair and whatnot (Asmodean manes for instance) but otherwise, this game is perhaps one of the most beautiful ive ever seen. The art design is very appealing to me (I was a huge fan of Lineage's art style and always have been) and the detail put into the characters, weapons, and armor is phenominal. Also, the fact that it can look as good as it does, while remaining as playable as it is (IE: not bogging down a decent system on higher settings) means it was well coded. As for the sounds and music, they fit the game like a glove. When you enter combat mode, the background music transitions cleanly to combat music, and then returns again when you sheathe your weapon. Some people have complained about the voices and whatnot, but theres an option to turn them off if they bother you that much.
3) Fun Factor - 8/10 One of the biggest gripes about Aion is that it dosent really bring anything new to the table at launch that isnt already out there. Alot of the quests are the same old "Kill this, deliver this, talk to this guy" format, but theres a reason why that sort of pattern has been implemented in almost every single MMO to date to some extent; it works. If you dont find questing in MMOs fun, well, Aion might not be the game for you until it gets to the higher level PvP content. However, that being said, for those that do enjoy the random questing that is a staple of the MMO genre, you will find that Aion delivers quite well. Note: For those who gripe about the quests all being the same; try actually READING the quests instead of just clicking accept. Sometimes you get pieces of lore/story that make the gameworld a little deeper and help pull you further in.
4) Combat - 9/10 Allright, again, this game dosent bring anything super-innovative to the table where combat is concerned. However, it does have an interesting combo system that keeps you at least semi-active while playing (You dont get far by just buttonmashing/rolling your face on the keyboard). The point where combat shines for me however are the animations. The first time my templar started swinging his greatsword, I knew I was in love. The cleanliness of the animations and the way that the characters move in combat are a definite selling point for me on a personal level, and in that respect, Aion delivers in spades. Also, something that I enjoyed was the fact that downtime is minimal (everyone gets at least a bandaging skill and sitting lets you recover faster than not).
5) Content - 8/10 As I only really got to start playing when the OB fileplanet keys were released, I havent been able to experience content past 20, but I have found few, if any, content gaps in the 1-20 areas of both factions. This is good considering some games have big glaring holes where content is concerned, but I wont be giving Aion any more than an 8 considering the fact that I havent seen the mid-highlevel game pan out. I am looking forward to experiencing the PvP content later on though.
6) PvP - 8/10 The limited experience ive had with PvP has been the few duels ive fought in the 1-20 level range. I know the classes get more powerful and really come into their own later on, but from what ive seen, there are a few large discrepancies with regards to balance. If youre a melee character and youre being chain snare/rooted, good luck closing distance/winning the fight. Maybe this changes later on, but I cant comment on what ive not experienced as yet. That being said however, I REALLY want to see what the highlevel PvP sieges are like.
7) Replayability - 7/10 I dont see Aion being one of those games thats fun over and over again considering there are only two factions with the same 8 classes on either side stemming from the same 4 templates. This seems to me like one of those games that urges you to find your niche in the endgame and participate in the big PvP stuff later on. Ive tried a few of the different classes, but it seems to me that once youve played through the 1-20 levels, you wont really want to repeat them.
8) Crafting - 8/10 From what ive seen of it, the crafting system, while far from mindblowing, is solid, and offers an interesting parallel to the combat/adventure game. I am very curious to see if crafted gear is worthwhile later on in the game when compared to raid rewards and whatnot. I definitely like the fact that you can start raising your skill for free by doing crafting quests for your trainer, and receive crafting components for doing so, good concept in my books.
9) Community - 8/10 Honestly, the OB community has been... difficult to remain patient with at times. Constant chatting about WoW in Region chat, about how Aion is better or isnt better than WoW, about how it will or wont kill WoW... Frankly, I personally couldnt give two shakes of an Asmodean's mane about WoW. Ive played that game to death, it isnt bad for what it is, but whatever, its not Aion, and Aion is not it. Yes, they share similarities, but its an MMO FFS, all MMOs share similarities, jeez... /rant off. Im sure that once the game releases the community will level off a bit, but for the most part ive just turned off my region chat. What I do like though, is the fact that this game allows people to open private stores instead of just tossing stuff on the auction broker (which is still an option mind you). Its nice to see people sitting around selling their wares in public areas, gives the game a sense of fullness in my opinion.
10) Originality - 8/10 Allright, the truth of the matter is that Aion is a mashup of a bunch of different games into one glorious detailed whole. I gave this game an 8 in this department, not because it brings a whole lot to the table besides aerial combat (which is pretty cool from what ive seen of it vid-wise and hell, I like the flying part of the game on its own), but because its so solid. This game has taken bits and pieces of cool stuff from tons of sources, and made them all its own. When im playing, I dont feel like im playing WoW, or Lineage, or EQ2, or any other MMO. It feels like im playing Aion, and the fact that the game has its own feel, gives it a good score in my books where originality is concerned.
Overall - 82/100 This is a solid game. I find it to be quite up my proverbial alley. I will be playing upon launch. If you dont enjoy the traditional MMO format of questing/combat/crafting/PvP you might not find this game fun. I personally, cant wait.
Cheers. |
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Originally posted by DaveTheRave
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How to fight someone at a severe SP disadvantage (and win!)
Jita (General) « EVE Online 12/05/08 6:44:37 AM
I fully agree with everything the OP has said. One thing that has helped me get a bit better, and would likely be a great idea for new pilots coming into EVE, is to have a look at a comprehensive list of the ships ingame, what roles they fill, how to fit them, etc (this can all be done on the official EVE forums, but there are also other sites with ingame shots of the ships and such, since people are attracted to specific ship styles). Once youve found a ship that you think looks cool, would suit you, fills a role that you would enjoy filling, find out what skills you need for it and train for that specific ship. Ive set my sights on one of the Amarrian battlecruisers, the Harbinger, and have been training Engineering, Mechanic, and Gunnery skills to suppliment my already adequate drone skills (im a Gallente pilot) so as to fly it better. Pick something you like and work towards it. It takes less time than one might think. (Learning skills and cybernetic implants dont hurt though |
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The Genre Feels Stale (A Veteran's Ramblings)
The Pub at MMORPG.COM « General Discussion 11/12/08 8:00:11 AM
Originally posted by Zayne3145
I'd say the Golden Age is yet to come. UO, EQ1, DAoC etc were the pioneers. Then came King Warcraft who assumed the throne with sheer brute force. WAR and AoC were pretenders to the throne, but failed to mount a succesful coup. 2009 will be the peasants revolt that will bring about the revolution, leading us into the Golden Age... I hope the best is yet to come. I would like a game that draws the best elements from all of those that came before it. In my opinion, the perfect MMO would have all of the following. - A large, detailed, seamless world/dungeons - Graphically interesting (dosent have to be the most beautiful thing in the world, but cant be below current industry standards) - Stable gameplay/performance - Wide variety of races/classes/appearances/armor/weapons so you arent just another clone - Non-linear gameplay - Challenging content/quests/experiences/combat - Player housing - Roleplaying elements (emotes/animations etc) - Less reliance on gear without making gear completely worthless (gear should give an edge, but not an overwhelming one) - A good measure of reliance on other players that forces the playerbase to cohere and build a community. - PvP rewards/consequences/incentives (hasnt been a game yet that gets this 100% right, though a few do come close in certain aspects) - Better use of AI for NPC encounters (have mobs take cover when under ranged fire, get help if help is nearby, attack in certain ways against certain classes etc)
Pipedreaming is fun |
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The Genre Feels Stale (A Veteran's Ramblings)
The Pub at MMORPG.COM « General Discussion 11/12/08 7:28:08 AM
http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Gam...e-110860.phtml I thoroughly agree with alot that this game-blogger has to say about the nature of the genre in today's online gaming marketplace. I myself was an EQ1 addict way back in the day. It was my first true foray into online gaming, and it had me, hook line and sinker, for five years straight. Since I left EQ1 ive hopped from game to game, trying desperately to find the same sort of feeling/experience that I had while running around in Norrath... but alas, few games can actually hold my attention. EQ2 and SWG (pre-NGE) managed to grab me for awhile, and games like CoH/CoV, Eve Online, WoW, Saga of Ryzom, Lineage 2, and even the newer ones like WAR and Age of Conan have their merits, and managed to interest me for a time in their own ways. However, I have yet to find another MMO that truly grabs me and has the ability to hold my interest for an extended period of time. I suppose the closest ive found since EQ1 was EQ2, which has gotten very big and very polished over the years. I may go back to it at some point if WAR doesnt make some big strides in the near future. In my opinion, for an MMO to have staying power it requires a few core things that games trying to be like WoW, and even WoW itself, have tossed aside in favor of appealing to a mass audience. 1) A wide selection of classes/races, unique appearances/armor styles Gamers, especially in the MMO genre, enjoy being unique. EQ1 had what is still one of the largest pools of classes/races to choose from. Later on in its life it even adapted armor dyes that allowed players to customize how their avatars looked even further. People dont like looking like everyone else, its a big draw to be able to stand out in these online virtual games. Some of the second gen MMOs manage this (Vanguard/EQ2/Pre-NGE SWG are the first that pop to mind), but many have tried to streamline to mimick WoW. 2) Size/diversity of the world/environments Though few games can really manage the seamless world concept well (The best example of a seamless world game that ive played is Lineage 2. Very little zoning and the world was huge.) Alot of MMOs have had to resort to using zones, but in earlier games, even the zones gave a sense of immensity and scale, they were huge. 3) Challenge/complexity of quests/content WoW and the games that have followed in its profitable, albeit shallow, footsteps seem to be lacking in this field. While older games like EQ1 didnt necessarily have the most innovative quest systems, they at least demanded more involvement from their players than "Click on the conveniently marked quest-giving npc, then scroll down past the text to accept the quest. After the quest is accepted, follow the radar/map directions to the place you needed to go." One of the major reasons people are becoming bored with MMOs in general, I think, is a lack of depth and complexity. There is far too much hand-holding now, and though it may appeal to casual gamers who are used to being handed everything for nothing, it leaves little in the sense of being rewarded for effort put in. If you barely have to work for anything, you wont really appreciate anything you get as a result. 4) Community This is a big one. Games these days, especially ones like WAR, seem to be closing people off from each other. There is no reason to speak to another player at all, there is no reason to be a part of a cohesive community. You can basically run WAR in singleplayer mode by just queueing for scenarios and interacting with NPCs, never speaking to another player, and get to max level doing so. While the ability to solo now and then in a game is nice, the genre itself is what it is BECAUSE the games that launched it gave people a sense of community, it was the social aspect of MMOs that made them interesting and addictive (for me at least, feel free to disagree). Before the Bazaar zone was created in EQ1, people actually had to stand around in the Eastern Commons auctioning their wares by shouting in the tunnel to the desert. The zone was always busy, it always had people coming and going, people would haggle, interact, meet... that sort of thing creates a community. It gives people a strong want/need/reason to interact with each other. Older games demanded interaction, newer games seem to be shunning it... I dunno, its one of the reasons the genre feels stale these days. Everything is instanced, everything is long distance tells/messages. Its too easy to walk through anything without needing to interact with others. 5) A sense of wonder/non-linear gameplay I dont get this anymore. There was a time that I could move through a gameworld and be awed by it. Now, in games like WoW and WAR, there is little that serves to evoke that feeling. Sometimes ill go "Oh, thats kinda cool" or "Hey, thats neat", but there is no more true reaction in me when I play the game. Im not just jaded though, there are still games that bring me back to that place (Most recent one being Fallout 3). I get the feeling that everything is rushed now, there is no beauty or depth because the beauty and depth were always in the details, and many WoWesque games lack exactly that. Detail. Also, the ability to go anywhere/do anything without the game holding your hand or giving you a convenient arrow on your radarmap that tells you "GO HERE NEXT!" was nice because it tied into the whole challenge thing. Someone described WAR as a single road that you run along from level 1-40. It just has different chapters along said road. Very linear, eventually boring. I dunno, I tend to ramble, im an MMO vet and spend a great deal of time pining for the golden age of EQ1/Ultima Online... a couple of the new sandboxy ones coming out have my interest piqued (Darkfall/Mortal Online) but they may vapor, or lose their way. Im very hesitant to get my hopes up these days. Also, keep in mind that this is all just my opinion. I dont expect everyone to agree with me. This is all my 2 cents I suppose. For what its worth, I hope the 4th gen games are a return to the primitive. Because the new age ones are so very small and limited and linear it hurts. |
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I, for one, am interested in seeing where the Devs will take this game from its current state. What kind of improvements/features are planned/being considered? Will they simply rest on their laurels and let this game stagnate? Are there more classes/races on the horizon? Whats everyones opinion on this? Personally, I love the game for what it is and what it does. Its a fun fantasy PvP romp in a Warhammer setting. The classes "feel" unique (even if some of them are just mirrors of each other), and the landscape and settings really bring you into the world (insofar as ive found). I would really love to see more progress on the actual roleplay elements of this game, but I, as a roleplayer, am biased towards this (my kingdom for a /sit animation). Id also like to see more in the way of class progression diversity, maybe a fourth path for each class... I dunno. Overall im caught up in the WAAAAAAAGH! (Go go black orc powah! Hows about the rest of you? |
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Roleplayer looking for other roleplayers to game with!
Guilds « WAR (Warhammer Online) 9/20/08 1:30:49 PM
Ive been having alot of trouble locating other roleplayers ingame on roleplay servers so im throwing this out here. If there are any medium -> heavy Order-side roleplaying guilds out there, please let me know where you are so I can roll on that server and contact you :). Also, if there are other roleplayers having the same problem as me, and are unable to locate other members of the roleplaying WAR community, please post in this thread and we can coordinate an effort to band together on a single server to increase its RP population. |
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Originally posted by Douhk
Just noticed this... in regards to that, why is the title of this thread still "servers merged in under two months..."? You heard rumors in the first place that even a sensible person who dislikes the game would realize are not true (if the game was doing that bad in the first place, which it isn't, from a marketting sense server merges are certainly not going to help make the game look successful). If it was just a rumor and you are so disinterested in the game then why would you make such a ridiculous claim as truth? I'd have to call BS as well. I dislike the game, but it's really just nonsensical when you hate the game for no reason. These threads have the opposite effect on what you are trying to accomplish.
The fact that you've obviously read none of my replies to comments similar to yours in this already 4 page thread is very clear. I am not completely disinterested in AoC. I do not hate the game. If I was, or if I did, I would not be frequenting these forums. The GAMEPLAY failed to hold my interest, and the way that Funcom is running things is horrible. However, the game's progress and state are of great interest to me because I see this as a major point in the progression in MMORPGs. Things like the SWG-NGE fiasco, HG:L and Tabula Rasa launches, the abominable DnL launch... all of these moments in MMORPG history are interesting to me, because these online games are my hobby. How AoC fares come October, when other games like Aion and WAR are set to be released/beta, will be another benchmark in the progression of this genre of games that I love. If the game tanks, it will be a lesson to Funcom and other gaming companies not to release a buggy unfinished game, and then blatantly treat your customerbase like crap until they leave you. In hindsight though, perhaps I should have just put a damned question mark at the end of this thread's title to discourage the rabid fanbois who see the topic and post crap like "OMGWTF!?! YOU THINK SERVERS ARE MERGING?! U R STOOPIDZ!" "Servers merged in under two months?" Better? More clear? |
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Originally posted by ghostinfinit
If you're no longer playing why would you care what's going on in the game? There, you just got the attention you desperately crave.
Maybe because I actually DID and to some extent still DO have hope for AoC as a game. Im following it to see if it improves, which may be unlikely, but still, I am curious. Also, MMORPGs are my hobby, have been for over 10 years, and if AoC flops I hope that other game developers will look at it as an example of how NOT to do things, thereby improving future releases. |
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Originally posted by Protus-AOC
http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/index.php?module=see&lang=uk&code=836e6b378f9c0dc02eb4dac3ef1abd89 |
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Originally posted by Xtort
Actually, im currently between MMO's because AoC failed to hold my attention. I had just heard rumors of a server merge happening and was hoping for confirmation. |
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Thoughts on this anyone? |
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Originally posted by Umbral
If you search for info you would realize this mature content removed issue is not exacly the truh. It is totally understandable not to like a game, but spread missinformation in forums isnt exacly productive. Players of Aoge of Conan should always check the lore in game and report mistakes and issues, but Im under the impression this is not the intention here.
...
I have played AoC since its release, got two characters up to around 50, and experienced most of what the game had to offer (and please dont pull the "YOU DIDNT GET TO 80!" card with me, because ive read ALOT of information that people who HAVE gotten to 80 have written, and there is no magical content waiting there for me if I had stuck it out that far). AoC since release has toned down the lewdness/nudity of its NPCs. They have added no new "mature" content. The game is not the dark, gritty, real Conan world that was promised. In fact, if changes such as the new clothing wearing worshippers of Derketo (who used to be nude) is any indication, they are trying to make their game less "real" in the sense of the lore so as to attract a wider variety of players. Now, im not one to scream for nudity in videogames purely for the sake of nudity in videogames. Thats not what im getting at with what ive posted. What im saying is that Funcom is not delivering on their much touted M rating, that they purposefully used to attract people to the game. They promised us the world showcased in the Conan books, and instead, we got a VERY watered down version of the Conan movies.
That being said, not delivering on the promised M rating is the LEAST of AoC's worries. The game is fine until level 20, at which point it becomes very hollow. After three weeks I actually had to convince myself I wanted to play. Games should hook you so that you WANT to log in and spend time playing, you shouldnt have to force yourself to do so. There are also many other reasons as to why the game sucks. I wont get into them. Honestly, my advice to the OP is this: Wait 6 months, then check the game out. Stick it on a shelf and wait, because in its current state, it disappoints. |
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Originally posted by kitsunegirl
Truth-in-mockery hurts I guess. hehe
Their company motto should read...
FUNCOM: We are full of suck and fail. Oh, and we have no sense of humor to speak of. |
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Originally posted by kitsunegirl
People started getting banned for posting Bombay vids, so I wont post em there But here ive got a bit more freedom, so meh, no worries. |
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