Yes, they put in a patch right as they launched.  Maybe not the best choice in terms of timing.  The patch itself is relatively minor from my experience.  I played after the patch and pretty much did all the same things that I'd done the day before the patch.  Taking on multiple henchmen my level and higher, still no big deal.  Taking on master and super villains of my level or higher, still about the same results.  If they hadn't posted patch notes, I wouldn't have known anything had changed.  I'm not sure where all the tears and drama is really coming from, but it's fun to read.  Need popcorn though. 

Not sure what all the cries of nerf are about.  Yeah I see they did some balancing when I read the patch notes.  But, I've been playing all evening and it's still working just fine.  I even completed a mission tonight that I failed to complete yesterday, before the patch.  Obviously, the changes aren't that big of a deal.  I can still take on the same numbers of henchmen, still defeat an equal level supervillain solo.  Plays pretty much the same if you know how to use your character.  Everyone take a breath. 

I was thinking the exact same thing once I read the review.  Especially his wrap up.  Just didn't seem to really match the score it was given.  But, after playing it myself, I can agree with the text of the review for the most part.  Personally, I thought the world was not well done either, too much clipping of placed items.  And yes, don't need to be tripping over mobs, but walk in a forest and there will be birds, small scurrying animals, insects etc.  Darkfall feels almost lifeless when you are out on your own.

I used to play, but canceled my sub shortly before the NA server released.  Will try and answer what I can.

1.  It sounds like there is a decent number of people on NA at the moment.  When I played on the EU server, the area I was in could not be considered bustling, but there were always some people around.

2.  This is a tough one.  In a lot of ways, polish is not really Darkfall's problem.  The game systems work without much issue.  Graphics are not great but solid with only some clipping.  Sound needs a revamp and animations are hit and miss.  I wouldn't say Darkfall is lacking in polish.  What you can do in the game, you can do just fine.  Where it lacks is in things to do.  You can fight, harvest and craft.  That's it.  Everything else is talking and imagining for yourself.  So, not too hard to be polished on such a simple framework.  They did make some additions lately, housing I believe was one.  So, similar to Eve, will probably see more things to do come along in bits and pieces, ie, more crafting options, merchant options, etc.  Things to do other than combat or supporting combat as it is right now.

3.  I encountered nothing I would call a glaring  issue.  It ran fine on both my computers.  But, it is old tech so doesn't take a lot of computer to handle it.  Never had a crash, lock=up, blue screen, etc.  Only issues you might encounter would be community related, not software.  I had none of those either.

4.  There is no game I have played I can compare it to.  But, no single player game would make it to release with so little meat on the bones.  No one would play it.  That is the benefit of Darkfall being an MMO.

Personally, there were no game issues that made me stop playing.  I wasn't constantly griefed, had no hardware/software problems, etc.  I logged on and was free to pretty much do what I wanted, so to speak.  I just found it dreadfully boring and extremely limited in scope.  Once I got tired of the 'newness' of the combat system and had my fill of it, I found little else to do.  Crafting is lackluster and uninspired, a pretty standard system.  Exploring is just one uninhabited expanse after another with a pocket of something here and there.  That got old quick too.  Just my opinions as a former player.  Am thinking of going back to Eve. 

Originally posted by DarthRaiden

Originally posted by Harkkum

Originally posted by DarthRaiden

The buddy who scammed the employer (Eurogamer) for money then took the day off  to get drunk and wrote a review with failures, bias  and made journalism look bad.

 

Both of the reviews are pretty much what review is supposed to be, a subjective view on a given product. You are free to review Citizen Kane and say that it is the worst movie ever done and those shadows are just plain stupid, not to mention the smoke raising from the chimney at the end. Others can then take up on that and proceed to whatever direction them deem fit. If you try to validate your personal opinion as the sole supportable one that has nothing to do with these reviews but everything to do with your personal preferences. For me, these both reviews have appeared well-written and informative, much moreso than e.g. the nowgamer.com review you personally linked.

 

The day when journalism means pleasing everyone is when it looks bad, not when it actually has the guts to look unpopular. There are way too many "reputable" game review sites on the Internet that pretty much always give a number that is 7 or higher on a scale to 10. Does that make their reviews somehow per se better ones. I doubt it. It just makes their reviews much more generic but arguably much less journalistic. Many of the reviews you see from MMOs are generic to the bone and could have been written based on press releases of the company publishing it. In sum, feel free to disagree with the reviewer, but throwing a hissy fit and turning to ad hominem insults hardly makes you look critical, only, what that word was, a carebear?

 

So , in journalism it is allowed to state wrong things as fact ?

 

 

Okay, first off, never confuse a review with that fact word.  Reviews are not facts.  I don't care if it's a review of a boock, a movie, a game, a restaurant, anything.  A reviewer sits down with a background of experiences and a set of beliefs and biases.  If it so happens that yours are a relatively close match, the review might be useful to you.  I seldom pay any attention to reviews, as they aren't often worth the paper they are printed on, so to speak.  All anyone can do is find one of those people out there that write reviews and seem to match your personal preferences.  And then, that is only applicable to you.  Pushing it off an anyone else, using truth or fact or best or any other cool word is a useless exercise. 

I am most likely going to be buy it shortly after release.  I have been running it for a while now, older beta version and now the RC version.  It runs very well.  My computer starts up quickly, runs super stable, plays almost all my games, even older ones.  Have been running Warcraft 3 on it.  So, compatibility issues are pretty low.  Have not had a blue screen yet.  I built a new computer at the end of march and this is the only OS it has had.  I was skeptical, but very impressed now.

Originally posted by DarthRaiden

Reviews from eurogammer are already proofed to be not prefossional and  the reviewers they use are biased shitheads and  magazine is crap and was unknown till the DF "review" they did.

These new attempt to "re-review" is uncalled for and not needed like their first "review".

Stick to the UK gamer reviewer posted on nowgamer.com.

Can't stick to the nowgamer.com "review" as it really isn't one.  An opinion piece filled with broad generalizations and no meat about the game, it's systems and how things are implemented is not a review.

Whether good or bad, everyone has the right to perform a re-review.  The first one caused a stink and they felt it necessary to try and save face in a sense.  Most any group would do the same thing.  Unfortunately, they were reviewing Darkfall and so that limited how much good could really be said.  Personally, I don't listen to reviews or forum chat.  I bought the program for myself shortly after launch and played it to make up my own mind.   I call it a program and not a game, as it is not a game.  It is a loose framework designed for nothing more than supporting a poor combat system.  I don't see why people are wasting time reviewing it in the first place.

In closing, it is perfectly natural to only want to support an opinion that matches your own.  Nothing wrong with it.  Is human nature.  For me, Darkfall was so completely forgettable that after about a month from letting my subscription lapse, I can't remember a thing about the game.  Not what race I played, or town I hung around...well, I do remember having to left click a lot.

Gotta go with DAOC.  I've played everything on the list except for AC and UO. 

First thing, using railguns is going to get you lower dps than blasters.  Second, unless you can consistently pop them at range, you are not going to hit well at all when the enemies get in close.  With a Megathron, you really want to go blasters and tank it up, then manual fly to try and keep your transversal low.  For most missions, you do get to start at range.  If you wish to keep your railguns, then drive away and don't open fire until you are at least at the edge of optimal.  This gives you low transversal and good chances to hit for as long as possible when the mission targets drive in at you.  Pick targets for your guns that are at range, use your drones to get the guys that are in close.  Aim at a warp out point and keep yourself at about 2/3rds speed or faster.  Personally, with a domi I would mission in that.  Tank it up big time and then load some medium and heavy drones and the drone equipment in your mid and high slots.  Not as much fun, but probably more doable until you get your gunnery skills up farther.

Honestly, I wouldn't complain either.  As long as the gameplay is there to keep me interested, I'm not a real big, has to look pretty to be "immersed" type player.  I just found the gameplay wasn't there.  Nothing to do outside of fight or harvest.  I want to play in a sandbox environment and have choices.  

I quit Darkfall for a host of other reasons.  The ugly graphics was not one of them.  Yeah they suck, but I can  ignore that easily enough.  And no, not going to just leave it at they suck, here are a few things that I considered poor in this amateurish attempt at a game.

The only thing that made the trees better than what you found in the original EQ, was the actual textures had a higher resolution.  It was still a simple 2d construct for the branches and leaves.  As soon as you got close, the paper thin branches were glaringly obvious other games have been doing better for years.

The haphazard way things were laid out.  You'd have an area of ground cover that would disappear into a rock or tree and come out the other side.  Looked very much like a randomly generated landscape with no attention to clipping or anything else.

The overall lifelessness of the game.  Run away from a town and get up on a hill, turn and look in any direction and basically see....nothing....just the trees and rocks.  The sky was okay, nothing that hasn't been seen in most any other game of recent release.  The lack of any kind of flavor made it feel like a drive through Nebraska in August.  I'm not talking about PVE fare that you can't move without tripping over.  How about anything, rabbits, squirrels, deer...anything...to break up the monotony.

The avatars were just plain crap.  The elf type thing I was playing reminded me of the avatars from Anarchy Online.  All thin and sharp edged with ungainly movements.  The dwarves looked better, if barrel-like.  And everything had a kind of sheen to it when you looked at the armor.  Even the cloth/leather I was getting as goblin camp drops.

I would say in my own opinion, which only really matters to me and what I enjoy, if I was playing a game only because it looked good, Darkfall would not be on the list of choices.  And realism should not be in the same sentence with Darkfall.

They really should update the website to let people know they are entering the pay to beta phase of testing.

Just my own take.  I don't believe it will have much of an effect on any game initially.  Maybe after being out for a while.  That is because, right now, I know of no one that has even heard of Darkfall where I live.  Maybe good press after release will change that.  For the moment they have done a good job of keeping it under a rock.

I can only speak for my own experiences here.  I feel the biggest hurdle Darkfall will have initially is, no one knows it exists.  To clarify, all the people I know who game have never heard of it or know it is even coming.  I have told some friends about it to see what they think.  Not really gotten any feedback though. 

Originally posted by DarthRaiden

Originally posted by Makestro

when I watch darkfall gameplay footage I am forced to break at least one neck every 2 minutes or else I'll go into overload and passout.

 

that reminds me... i need to find more friends and show them darkfall videos.

 

Its because you not used to quality ..did tried some good food after a period of eating only junk..same feeling ..

U need some time to aclimate to quality and to what expert gamer like..if you wish of course ..you can continue junk food and games for dummies ofcourse

Well, should not be too jarring.  Considering that gameplay video would have been quality 4 years ago.  Now, it looks like any other game that was in development and released years ago.  Not too surprising to me.  Just hoping the gameplay makes the difference on how good it will be. 
 

Originally posted by downtoearth

Originally posted by Mystlynx

No worries Arcken, wasn't really my point.  Was just going for a poor attempt at levels are levels by any name.  There is always a mechanic that will measure one versus another in some way.  Just have to love how they pick one tiny thing from a bunch of text and use it to invalidate an argument or a point that is raised.  "Well, Darkfall doesn't have green M&M's, so you can't bring up the community of game X+Y=Z.  Even though the feature set is nearly identical in other areas.  No, no, no...you fail" 

I am just curious if anyone will be able to transport a city to the bottom of the ocean and wipe out a whole load of characters.  By accident of course.

 

 

the whole point is shadowbane has BAD mechanics

im hoping df devs have learned form SB ac1  and put in Mechanics that actully work. even tho AC1 was adecent game i heard

Ummm, so your whole point is that you are HOPING....And that will let you ignore all the other comparisons being made by two games that should attract a smilar clientele due to similar gameplay.  I happen to think Arcken is pretty on the money for the most part.  But I am not HOPING, just waiting to see what it releases like and then can play or not. 

No worries Arcken, wasn't really my point.  Was just going for a poor attempt at levels are levels by any name.  There is always a mechanic that will measure one versus another in some way.  Just have to love how they pick one tiny thing from a bunch of text and use it to invalidate an argument or a point that is raised.  "Well, Darkfall doesn't have green M&M's, so you can't bring up the community of game X+Y=Z.  Even though the feature set is nearly identical in other areas.  No, no, no...you fail" 

I am just curious if anyone will be able to transport a city to the bottom of the ocean and wipe out a whole load of characters.  By accident of course.

Originally posted by downtoearth

Originally posted by Arcken

It occured to me today that one thing that hasnt been touched upon a whole lot in all of these discussions about Darkfall is the type of community that youll be a part of.

As a ffa, full loot pvp game, this game will cater to a specific crowd of people who are possibly the most detested part of the whole MMO community in general. This game is going to be about ganking, and what guild has the most numbers.

Solo players will find themselves getting killed and their gear looted relentlessly, small guilds will be a the mercy of the far larger guilds, and nothing about it will be "fair".

Trust me, it will be a bloodbath, and while Im looking forward to the carnage, I dont think most fans of Darkfall are prepared for the type of people theyll be playing with.

This is where I see it being a lot like Shadowbane. In Shadowbane, the larger guilds dominate, and small guilds step lightly, and do not run their mouths lest they lose all the time and money they invested in building their cities. You do not go out solo and try to farm money, because most likely youll be ganked, and your money and loot taken from you. You have to rely on numbers for safety, and sometimes not even that is enough if they happen to be playing a specific spec'd toon.

So I challenge anyone who is a fan of Darkfall to go spend a couple of months in Shadowbane, I think it will not only be a learning experience on how down and dirty Darkfall is going to be, but it will also prepare you for just how cutthroat FFA full loot really is.

 

most df people dont play SB sorry bud and Sb sucks bad mechanics for ffa pvp

didnt i mention SB is a really bad game and has level levels and ffa pvp dont work

Cool, so that means if I run into another guy in Darkfall and we get in a fight.  If my sword skill is 10 and his sword skill is 100 I have nothing at all to worry about.  As there are no levels, we should be completely even in our fight. 

Amazing graphics and AI.  Umm...no.  Having watched the vid a couple times now, don't feel there is any  evidence to use for evaluating the AI in any real manner.  So, leave that out of the conversation for another time.  The graphics amazing.  Maybe 5 years ago.  Good enough to have a fun time in the game.  Most certainly.  Before you jump on it, not talking textures or any of that stuff.  I am looking at the basics.  They use a crude skeleton for the avatars, all movement is stiff and the hinge points look a little off.  The hips bother me a lot.  Animation wise, there is no difference between walk and run.  Running is just sped up walking.  The fighting looks like the same swing over and over.  Watch the fire(torches) it is like a 2 second loop.  I really like the shadows.  When he is on the bridge, the avatar shadow, shadow of the chain, all very sharp and well done.  Overall, I can't call it amazing by recent standards.  But, like stated earlier.  Is plenty good with underlying solid gameplay.

Originally posted by Aragon100

Originally posted by Mystlynx

Okay, so if one part of a comparison is not true, that makes every other part of a comparison simply invalid?  I wish I could do that in every situation.  Make my life easier.  I never listed specifically, Darkfall info to go point by point.  I ONLY listed Shadowbane info and left it for people to make their own conclusions.  Now we see what they are I guess. 
 

 

Why choose Shadowbane?

Heck while you're still at it why dont you make comparements with all games ever released and then we can have a huge super quiz on which of them were closest to the coming Darkfall beta and release.

Its just not fair to all the others that you picked Shadowbane to compare with.

 

I guess I went with Shadowbane because it was pvp centric, ffa pvp with looting, city building/controlling, lots of freedom, etc.  etc.  No game would compare to another 100%.  But it was started by a small group, indi devs trying to put out what they thought was a fun game.  It had a long dev cycle, some people thought it would never come out.   Seeing a pattern here that almost every other game released recently doesn't share?  Is really not that complicated and I wasn't trying to leave out other games.  Sorry you feel that way about my exclusions.