Originally posted by Valua

Originally posted by Fadedbomb

Just PLEASE keep in mind that The Secret World isn't any different than SWTOR except for a MUCH more gritty art-style that is a sight for sore eyes. The game is essentially a well written sci-fi horror/secret society book that you follow the storyline of. Literally, the story IS that good, but the gameplay & combat is horribly stale. 

 

 

I disagree with the combat not being good, it's actually very similar to GW2 combat, and not as generic as every other MMO out there, you can move while casting any spells, and if an enemy gets in the way of the enemy you are targeting that enemy gets hit instead.

 

Combat is very fun. Investigation missions are fun too. But apart from these things, the game is very generic but set in a modern world rather than fantasy/sci-fi.

 

The game is good.

When I look at combat I look for a couple things. Is it involving, evolving, and more importantly fun? Does it have complexity to it, or is it simply button mashing? Is there any real way I can completely screw myself if I do the wrong thing at the wrong time? Will reusing the same learned key pattern for a combo hurt me for different encounters?

Essentially, all of this boiled down to me hitting the same pattern of buttons for TSW all the way into 93 ability points before realizing I hated Illuminati and rerolled Templar. Besides that, the fact that I can "Run While Casting" doesn't come into my thought process when determining if combat is good or not. However, most certainly if you DID get "animation locked" in TSW it'd be a massive negative. It's sort of a "Standard" for me that animation locks for combat don't exist unless for VERY powerful abilities. 

Additionally, the fact that there is hit locations (ie: mobs in the way get hit) doesn't make the combat fun. It just means you'll have to consider your positioning before hitting a mob. Again, not really complex but more of a longer drawn out process than it should be.

To each there own, and I'll agree the game, for what it is, is fun. However, people have been getting some "Funny Ideas" about what TSW actually is, hence this thread :)!

Originally posted by Vesavius

Originally posted by Chrome1980

Originally posted by karmath

Originally posted by Piiritus

Originally posted by karmath

I feel sorry for those who paid $200-300 for that preorder lifetime thing.

You just got Funcom'd, hate to say I told you so.

Like trolling much, eh? Anyway, great success here.

lol trolling? are you playing the beta weekend now? I am and its trademark funcom hillariously buggy.

Don't think we are playing the same beta. Hilariously buggy? bugs are to be expected because it is beta but nothing game breaking so far. Unlike GW2 i can atleast log in and play.

 

Not valid to pull the 'but it's beta' claim one month out of launch IMO.

 

Although this might be off-topic. I think this needs to be emphasized QUITE A BIT MORE than it has been. I've seen constant replies to the tone of "But it's beta!". Yea, well all of my past experience with Alphas, Betas, Open Betas, and Launch tells me NOT MUCH WILL CHANGE 1month out from release.

Unless they push TSW back by about 3-6months nothing will change pretty much. 

Even if they are using a 2month old build for open beta it still won't change much. All of the updates that'll come with the "Launch Edition" are mainly polishing content, animations, sounds, etc.

Originally posted by Chrome1980

Originally posted by Fadedbomb

Originally posted by Chrome1980

TSW comaprison to SWTOR is absured. Also please have a look at posting history of OP. Next time you see his name you would know he is going to say something negative to say.

This guy just thrives on negativity. 50+ hours in game and i fail to see any similarity between this MMO and SWTOR.

[mod edit]

You can not anger me because i don't take your posts seriously. I have never seen you say anything positive about MMOS..ever. I just dropped in to contribute my 2 cents so that others also get a little idea as to why trusting your so called preview is waste of time.

And yes TSW comparison to SWTOR is abusred. 

Deleting your reply just makes my point.

First, I've said quite a few good things about MANY MMOs. However, it appears I've said something you didn't like about "some random MMO" in the past that has angered you. For that I won't appologize for speaking my mind from past experience I've had with MMOs, their development, and the thought processes that go into making an MMO.

You're also in the minority believing the TSW comparison to SWTOR was absurd. All you have to do is go play the TSW Weekend Demo for more than 10hrs and you'll see it. Simply thinking that "Graphics" or "Artstyle" is the singular purpose behind a comparison is highly flawed. Gameplay, Linear Story Elements, and Themepark driven mechanics are what comparisons are made behind. For that, my comparison was balanced, and accurate from my point of view (and apparently a few others also share that view).

Simply because I haven't gotten caught up in all the hype over the past few months for GW2, SWTOR, etc etc doesn't mean I cannot say nice things about a product that deserves it. Furthermore, I haven't actually said anything "bad" about GW2, just not overly positive as it's not my slice of pie.

Originally posted by Banquetto

 

---

Originally posted by Fadedbomb
I won't hide the fact that I'm heavily disappointed, and frankly disgusted by some games, such as:

 

-The Elder Scrolls "Online"

---

Damn, I was planning to pick up Elder Scrolls Online next week, but if you've played it and reckon it's that bad, I guess I'll give it a miss.

 

From all of the official information out about TheElderScrolls: Online it doesn't take a rocket scientist, or a genius for that matter, to realize it shouldn't have "Elder Scrolls" anywhere in the title. 

A bit of googling might help you out though :)! If you need more info about TESO simply PM me.

[edited: I was being trolled]

Originally posted by supbro

Thanks for the update OP.

Question though, are their any multiplayer features that would warrant a monthly charge + the cash shop? Because i dont understand why Funcom didnt release this game as just a single player one. I have my theories, and they all include being money hungry.

I've not personally found anything that would warrant a sub + cash shop + box purchase nor have I found anything that warrants a month sub + box price alone. All 3 is simply insult to injury.

However, I DO see funcom making TSW another "Free to Play" title by early next year.

Originally posted by n3v3rriv3r

Originally posted by Caldicot

Is he telling the truth?

Imho you should look at the OPs previous posts and scan a little (as I did). Not do go into Ad-hominem attack or something but I was having a hard time finding a positive post about a game. It is nothing bad to be critical. just to put into a perspective an opinion.

I've been posting about quite a few games that are unfortunately bad :(. 

What does a Book Critic do in a sea of horribly written books? Does he lower his expectations and start writing decent reviews for work he knows is bad, or does he speak his mind and provide clear opinions based on the idea that he knows it should be much better?

I won't hide the fact that I'm heavily disappointed, and frankly disgusted by some games, such as:

-SWTOR

-The Elder Scrolls "Online"

-TERA

Does that mean I can't say anything "good" about a product? Certainly not, but you also won't find me saying "This game is AWESOME!" like MANY review sites, and reviewers on THIS VERY SITE will do for money. 

Do I think TSW is a bad game? Certainly not, but it is what it isn't. TSW is NOT anything other than another Linear Solo Driven MMO with a fantastic storyline. Does that make the game horrible, or bad for the matter? Only you can decide that for yourself, or with your wallet.

I like the story, hate the gameplay, hate the combat, and relatively enjoy the "Classless" system they have. I just wish they'd expand upon the actual gameplay rather than continue to write in random "Go here, kill x, explore this, plant this here" side quests that people tend to ignore.

Originally posted by Amegashie

Originally posted by Caldicot

Is he telling the truth?

No clue, first time playing the game. After a couple hours in my impression is pretty much exactly what the OP wrote already though. Great setting, some very good story moments, but the underlying game systems seem rather lacklustre. So much so in fact, that I wouldn't even want to play anything else but the story in this game. Naturally there are tight limits to the amount of that sort of content FunCom could possibly provide, so it's hard to see any kind of longevity in TSW.

 

If it was a more focused single player adventure/rpg I might actually go for it, but as a MMO at full price+subs+shop ? Nah, I don't think so.

Yea pretty much :/. I'm banking on TSW going "Free to Play" by January next year. What what I have seen, so close to release, the game isn't worth the Box AND Cash Shop AND monthly sub. If it were just the Cash Shop AND Monthly sub, or Box and Cash Shop then yea I'd probably play it, but not ALL 3 at once.

I think Funcom are still behind on how to actually make a proper MMO :(. They've made a fantastic Single-Player RPG with TSW though :D!

Originally posted by Roybe

TL;DR Arenanet's revolutionary idea was to remove toxic gameplay from the MMORPG gamespace, utilizing ideas from many games including other MMORPG's, with the expectation of bringing out a game that is more fun, healthier, and more profitable than other games in the genre.

Short Answer, NO

Long Answer? I don't think GW2 is as "revoluntionary" as most would like to think it is. I played GW1 day 1 of release for about 3months and then quit because I "completed the game" pretty much. Rolled about 3 more toons, finished them out completely, got everything I wanted nodded my head and quit. A good story, but low retention rate for GW1.

GW2? I've seen MANY elements of GW2 in many other games, and they brought it together in a way these previous games couldn't. Does that mean GW2 is "Revolutionary"? Absolutely not.

-Similarly, does that make GW2 a "Bad Game"? Aboslutely not, but it doesn't make it the next "WoW Killer".

Originally posted by Caldicot

Is he telling the truth?

Well, I could say "Yes, yes I am", but I assume you weren't asking me :). 

At the end of the day it's only my "Opinion". However, to give you some perspective I thought SWTOR's combat was absolutely dull, uninspiring, and quite simply a kick in the face for StarWars fans. I also hated SWTOR's questing system, and horrible linear elements as well as MASSIVE instancing & solo oriented gameplay.

TSW? Not as horribly instanced as SWTOR, but doesn't incorporate grouping that much. In fact, most instances in TSW in KingsMouth (NDA dropped for Kingsmouth btw) are "solo" instances. Literally you'll probably spend 10hrs in kingsmouth if you rush through everything. 10hrs solo for "rushing" the content is NOT cool, and shouldn't be acceptable. Hell, I thought 3hrs on Tortage was Torture, and shouldn't have been repeated. Apparently Funcom like to repeat their mistakes, and then make them worse.

Does that mean TSW is a bad game? Certainly not, however my goal is to make sure YOU know exactly what kind of game TSW is so you don't misunderstand why it ISN'T the game you may have thought it was.

Take that for what it's worth :)!

Originally posted by Aethaeryn

Same as other thread. . NDA correct?

NDA dropped as of today for the DEMO. However, you're not allowed to talk about end-game stuff.

Originally posted by DJJazzy

Faded, at the basic level don't you think that questing is always the same? You really can't get around it. How it differs is the presentation and the context they are in with the game world. So far I feel that TSW has done that really well, at least better than SWTOR was in my opinion. But I haven't played a whole lot of TSW so I can't comment past about 5 hours of gameplay.

No, at the "Basic Level" questing is NOT always the same. I've seen "Questing" presented in a format that didn't make it at ALL "Linear" similar to SWTOR. "Modern" questing is merely something bastardized by WoW, and then copy & pasted by every other company for "easy profits".

A good example of "Proper" questing? Some of you might not be old enough to know, but back in Everquest it pretty much had VERY VERY rare examples of "written" questing. However, when you DID find a quest it was highly vague, filled with puzzles, and generally required at LEAST a full group, if not your entire guild, to help you complete some steps or most of the time the final step.

"Epic Weapons" were the keystone to this idea. Granted they were extremely rough, but they were NEVER "Go here, kill 15 rats, go back for experience & coin". 

The "Old Style" of questing was player generated, or were player centric. It's still possible to do a quest system that isn't a linear-handholding piece of crap, and you DO NOT have to go back to the old EQ or DAOC system. But the problem is that no one is ACTUALLY TRYING to do anything different. They've simply accepted that because X number of players will swallow linear-handholding-questing like in WoW, SWTOR, RIFT, etc that everyone else does too.

Linear gameplay is ALWAYS bad. It provides little to no replayability, and loses customers QUICKLY due to boredom. Once you get to the end of a road to a themepark what else is there to do but go home? :x

TLDR; No, I do NOT believe that questing is "All the same" and "Always linear". However, I'm not a magician, nor am I a professional team of game designers who could easily at least TRY to find a more enjoyable quest system that doesn't borrow from old elements of "Go Here, Kill X number of things, Return, Complete".

That most of you aren't seeing the rest of the game like us closed beta people (I CAN talk about some stuff due to NDA drop due to this demo weekend).

Just PLEASE keep in mind that The Secret World isn't any different than SWTOR except for a MUCH more gritty art-style that is a sight for sore eyes. The game is essentially a well written sci-fi horror/secret society book that you follow the storyline of. Literally, the story IS that good, but the gameplay & combat is horribly stale. 

If you love playing solo, or with RL friends, in a well written story in an MMO then TSW will probably be your gem. However, if you're looking for a social experience similar to EQ, DAOC, UO, SWG etc etc you're in for a tough ride. The game, as I said before, is HEAVILY linear with stale combat but a VERY well written storyline.

As you might imagine the game falls short on replayability after you've essentially run out of "Story". I unfortunately cannot talk about anything past what you've seen in the Demo Weekend (ie: "End Game") as that's still under NDA. 

Also keep in mind that it's Funcom's usual "Placeholder" stuff for combat that will then be revamped 3months after release (not official, but the last time they stated that combat had a lot of "PlaceHolders" we didn't see anything done in AOC until 3-5months post-release). So pretty much what you've seen so far is about 80% of the game on release.

TLDR; The game is a linear-themepark that centers 90% on storyline content to keep you entertained similar to SWTOR. Combat & Gameplay will get stale if you try to concentrate on different "Builds" or abilities after the first 10hrs. Concentrate on the storyline or you'll get bored VERY quickly. If you're NOT a fan of "Themeparks" this game is NOT for you unfortunately.

Just wanted to clear some misconceptions up that people seem to be having. Cheers :)!

Originally posted by bcbully

 

I just got done with a quest where I need a password for a computer. I found a clue in a picture, took the hint from the computer. Then looked it up on the in game browser. about 4 or 5 links down I found something, put it in and it was the answer. the computer opened. This is just the starting area mind you...

 

This is not a kill x grab y game. There are those quest though. 40 hours in, and when I see one of those quest I think "good I can rest my brain." 

You're doing the "Main Story" line mission stuff. That's similar to the "Character Storyline" in SWTOR. However, the other 80% of TSW is "go here, kill/collect/do this, return". 

TSW is NO DIFFERENT than SWTOR, however the story, setting, and artstyle is LEAGUES better than SWTOR. If you're not big into an MMO being 90% story and hella-linear I'd suggest avoiding TSW :(.

My friends dropped the game after playing for 10hrs this weekend after they had the "realization" that it was SWTOR with a more "gritty" ArtStyle =/.

Also, I will agree that the Doctor's password was hilariously tastey. I was like "I know that song... and composer.." and type it in and BAM O_O!

I think he's in closed beta as I am -.-. You're not supposed to divuldge this kind of stuff if it's NOT in the open weekend brah >_>!

Originally posted by Lord.Bachus

Maybe finally a game that will gather a fanbase of intelligent and grown up people.

 

There is much to be liked in this one so far.  It might be the perfect game to play together with GW2

For the mature? Most definately.

However, I'd hardly call TSW an "MMO". I've played more than 60hrs of TSW closed beta (again, due to this weekend I can share some of what I've done due to NDA drop) and I've never had to group. Not just that, but i've TRIED to form groups on numerous ocassions when I started to feel the "creep" of boredom setting in.

Seriously, this game is no better than SWTOR in terms of linear design, however the story will draw you in far better than SWTOR's. 

An MMO? Hardly, but a good story for sure. Game has no replayability once you've done it other than MAYBE different faction stuff, but that's all VERY minor stuff.

Originally posted by terrant

OK folks, the Terr back for another first impressions post!

 

TSW is one of the games I've been looking  forward too (the two others being Tera and GW2). Now, I've been watching this game since the  first  announcements, got involved with the ARGs, all that. Really been rooting for it. On the other hand though...it's Funcom. Burned me on AO, Burned me on AoC. Are they gonna burn me a third time? Well...

 

Graphics- Environment 8/10, animations 3/10, characters 2/10

OK look, to start off with, I'm aware the animations are aupposedly placeholders. They said that in AoC too, and we had some of those placeholders months after launch. I don't feel this is a proper way to release a game. Now, on to my opinions.

The environments are GORGEOUS. Lighting and shadows are utterly the best I've seen in an MMO I think. VERY moody, fits the whole "Lovecraftian Horror" thing well. love them. My only complaint is the lack of a "living, breathing world" feel. NPCs kinda just stand there, the environment feels...static. dead. I get it's a horror game  and all, but it just needs more..movement. life. Unlife. whatever. The bleak emptiness is nice, but I jsut don't feel like I'm interacting with a world.

Enemy and player animations? Just...bad. The run animations look idiotic with your weapon drawn. Jumping is bizarre, freakish, and cheap-looking. Enemy and player attacks have no weight...no sense of impact. If it weren't for numbers and life bars moving I wouldn't know this was combat. Weapon lighting effects (muzzle flash on the shotgun for instance just look like they were slapped together in photoshop last minute. They don't merge into the world at all. Again, because people don't bloody read, I'm aware FC says they're all placeholders. This does NOT make it OK. I won't pay for a game full of cardboard cutouts that eventually fall over. 

Lastly, character design. HORRIBLY limited. few choices for anything really. I hope they have dozens more planned for launch.

 

 

Sound- ambient 10/10, music 9/10, voice 6/10

Let me start by asking: where the hell are footfalls? I run around, I near nothing. I jump into water, there's no splash. It's like my character isn't even there. That out of the way, ambient sound and music in this game are just phenomenal. THIS is how you capture mood, every other game developer in the world. Little bursts of static, the wind howling between buildings, the distant (and realistic!) crack of a pistol echoing through town. Well done! The music adds to it...mostly. It changes up in combat and seems more standard MMO fare. But out of combar it's just downright creepy.

The voicework sounds like they had a convention to get the most bad stereotypical accents they could imagine. I only played Templar; I can only imagine the horrible Asian accents for the Dragon. And that godawful not-quite-Newenglander accent of the sherrif in Kingsmouth...ugh.

 

Performance- unnumbered

Performance is the ONE area I forgive in a beta even this late phase. With a fairly decent rig I was usually OK, although the area of Kingsmouth near the Sheriff's was...bad. Admittedly, I maxed eveything out. lower settings would have probably had  OK framerates all around. No isssues with crashes or such. Radeon 5770 if it matters.

 

 

Combat/Skill mechanics- 7/10

The combat itself, animation issues notwithstanding, wasn't bad. It's almost like GW2's in that there IS tab targeting, but it does not auto-lock. You need to face your targer, and be in proper range. And other monsters getting in front of your lof will get hit instead. I picked Chaos Magic; because it looked interesting. I also realized quickly there was little need to spam anything but my 3rd attack, which was an aoe whirling claw thingy.

I got a chance to play a little with the vaunted skill wheel, and was disappointed. I was expecting the tons and tons of skills in a game like Skyrim or Anarchy Online; what I got was something less. 9 main skillsets (3 magic, 3 gun, 3 melee), each with 2 disciplines, each with a few (locked for beta) sub-dsciplines that largely all seemed to share many of the same skills anyway.I can see the flexbility of the skill deck system and it's nice; but I was expecting more choices. The skill point and ability point menus, I felt, weren't explained well, but I got the hang of them fast.

 

 

Questing/Levelling Mechanic: 4/10

OK first and foremost...TSW is a by-and-large linear themepark. If you don't like that, you can probably not bother reading on. There is SOME room to explore, but the zones I've seen thus far (up to Kingsmouth, admittedly not far) didn't seem gigantic or have any real out-of-the-way secrets. There's some lore achievements you can get for huntings down hidden nooks and crannies that are not very well hidden.But I mostly felt like I was just shunting from one corridor to another.

The quests themselves were standard fare, but I take that with a grain of salt. Only so many ways to shape a wheel. However, I felt the delivery system was problematic. Some quests I couldn't take without ditching others, not sure why. Near as I could tell I could only have one "active" quest at a time, and so I ended up backtracking a lot because I passed objectives for another quest. 

And clickable quest objectives have WAY too long a respawn; compeition over them was ugly. 

The story wasn't bad..a little worse than ToR maybe. I rarely felt I was doing anything more heroic than shuttling around either killing mobs or clicking things. I don't mind if that's all gameplay is, just make it more fun to do.

 

 

Overall- 6/10

TSW is not a bad game. It's just not a good one either. In theme, it's trying to do something different. In practice though, it offers no real originality. combat is MMO standard fare, with the addition that I can circle strafe out of certain attacks, or turn a sword swing into an AoE similar to GW2. However unlike GW2, the world feels flat; and animations worse. I do think some of the combat and skill ideas are cool, and the story is nice when it picks up. I jsut wish there was more of that good stuff, and less of what felt like a fairly generic MMO. I will continue to watch this game to see if FC does what they always do and manage to turn it into something playable about a year from now, but right now it's jsut not enough to justify the box price, much less a sub. 

I was going to write my own review from 50+hrs of closed beta (which i can actually talk about given the NDA has lifted for the parts i wanted to talk about). However the OP does a good job of encompassing the game as is.

What you should take away from TheSecretWorld is that it is, in fact, a "Linear Themepark" similar to SWTOR but with a MUCH better story, and the ArtStyle of the game is something we actually WANT to play in.

In short, if you like any of the books TheSecretWorld is based off you'll love the game as it's 90% story. HOWEVER, if you like gameplay & game mechanics MORE than story you'll get bored VERY quickly. Combat in TSW is not a centerpiece, and because of that is VERY boring.

However, the "Mix & Match" skill system is something the genre should pick up on for ThemeParks in the future. It's a good twist on sandbox elements, but meant for ThemeParkery :)!

My personal score for TSW: [6.1]

Originally posted by Banisco

Originally posted by MMOExposed

Originally posted by Banisco

Originally posted by MMOExposed

Originally posted by Banisco

I dont know, but maybe google does.

why ask Google, when its not a person?

Because that way you dont waste all our time with this kind of threads, how can someone who thinks that GW is a diablo clone be called "spotligth poster"?

All you do is opening threads with absurd questions and then abandom them.

you do know the minds behind Diablo made Guild Wars right?

Many Anet founders use to be members of Blizzard... oh wait.. you didnt know that,,, and decided to insult me.... nvm

Yeah i did know it, but following your logic the Zelda games and Mario games are all clones because all of them come from Miyamoto, good job.

And im not insulting no one im just pointing something that i have been seing in the months im arround this forums, if you felt offended, well, its not my fault.

Dude has a point Exposed. GuildWars is in ZERO way anything related to the Diablo franchise other than being a game that is played on PC. The differences are actually quite astounding. Not to mention the itemization of both are worlds apart in terms of differences.

So yea.......

Originally posted by Valua

Only 7 and a half hours left until we can play one of the most anticipated MMO's of recent times! (well it is for me anyway!)

 

I just got onto the login screen, looks pretty awesome and the music is amazing! I cannot express how excited I am for this game! At last something original!

 

Gamespot is still giving away free beta keys for today, so go get one!

 

Wooooooooo :D

Calm yourself.

NDA allows me to tell you that I've been in the beta for a month now. NDA does NOT allow me to tell you much else OTHER THAN you should lower your expectations quite a bit than they are now. 

Again, NDA doesn't allow me to tell you much, but what I AM allowed to tell you is the following:

-If you're really into the "Storyline" of an MMO then you'll love the game.

-If you're more a "gameplay & combat" kind of player you'll be disappointed. 

Just saying...

Originally posted by GrayGhost79

Originally posted by stayontarget

I have a question if you don't mind. 

What exactly do you think you will be doing in D3/GW2/Secret World?  Yeah I thought so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6CyqGJHTjes

Thats what you will be doing in GW2 so I wouldn't ask lol.

D3 and The Secret World, yeah quests won't be much better.

I'm sorry, but having a story TOLD to me is hella boring. Nothing about that was dynamic, but static and scripted. 

D3 is essentially a much more dumbed down version of Diablo 2 with WoW-type oversimplified polygon models with low-res textures in a massively MORE linear gameplay system than was in Diablo 2. Boring to say the least, and not up to par with 2012 releases.

The Secret World is still in beta, but I can tell you from what I've experienced it's nothing better than SWTOR pretty much. I can't go into more detail until NDA drops :)!