The lessons of this thread:

1. The only thing that matters is that you can enjoy the game. If it's something you want to play and enjoy, forget everything else.

2. If you're going to call something a debacle, learn how to spell it first.

"a Skaven (think Gnoll)"

Er, more like 'think ratmen'.

I was there at the start of this game, and while it as beautiful, huge and open, some things just didn't entertain me:

1. Dull character models and armour.

2. The world itself seemed unpopulated, sparse, and bereft of soul. NPCs would just stand around doing nothing - or in the case of dark elves, would do rediculous crap like stand around and fart or burp - or would just walk a dull, monotonous set path down a corridor and back again.

@above: haven't they been adding missions,  episodes and story arcs and other content every month or two?

I felt there could have been a few other pertinent (to me) questions asked, such as, 'will FTP players be able to use the Foundry?'.

Originally posted by jahwarrior28

Just a heads up to everyone to check their inbox and spam boxes!  I recieved my invite and am downloading the client now.

I think you just became Public Internet Enemy #1 ;)

Shit happens, stuff gets delayed. Nobody needs to get their knickers in a twist about this.

Originally posted by Tjommis

The melee combat system still has 5 attack directions, but  you wont unlock the last 2 directions until midlevel. That said, I think the melee combat in AoC is the main reason I keep myself sticking with this game - no other game gives me the same rush as when my dual wielding conqueror starts slicing and dicing.

And, even after a few years, watching those fatality animations STILL doesn't get old for me!

Dunno if the combat system is entirely unique. D&D Online featured a hack&slash system, but AoC's is more refined.

But yeah... watching my Guardian gut some poor fellow, then kick him onto his back, stand on his chest and then skewer him again with a blade.. never gets old. :D

Originally posted by Deewe

• Initially the game was supposed to stay away from the holy Tank-Healer-DPSer trinity.
• Don't remember that, but doesn't bother me.
• Then Combat was supposed to feel epic... to end with Wow like Boss kiting.
• Looks epic enough to me.
• LS and force powers are now being used in Hutt Ball games.
• Shrug.
• All classes in solo mode are pet classes.
• Huh?
• Space combat is a point and click minigame.
• As it always has been.
• Heroic crafting ends as having NPCs do it for us.
• As it always has been.
• On paper SWTOR has less features than games years older.
• Game hasn't released yet, therefore it is impossible to say this with certainty. I believe it will have as many features as any other AAA title on release.
• Not even KOTOR core features at launch: Pazaak and Swoop racing.
• That's ok.
• Story lines doesn't look that epic and it seems doesn't really have an impact on the outcome, but maybe a few times.
• Must every question and choice be like the ending of Lord of the Rings?
• Replayability seems to be there only if you switch factions.
• Hard to say as the game has not yet been released.
• Some gear looks like coming directly from Wow: mage/warlock robes, epic shoulderpads.
• Matter of personal opinion.
• Character heroic proportions look silly.
• Same graphic style hey have been using since the beginning, only with more polish and updates over time.
• Game looks on rails or at least very directed
• This was clear since the beginning, but has yet to be fully explored or confirmed.

 

And that is with a budget even bigger than Tabula Rasa one.

So... what went wrong?

 

Absolutely nothing from my perspective.

Yeah, honestly, in the years I've been coming to this site, I've never really seen any comics that made me laugh out loud, just occasional smiles or a chuckle. Or maybe, at 36, my sense of humour has evolved and requires something more nourishing.

Maybe the staff should just do an event, like a whole week or two of user-submitted comics and funnies, post 'em, and maybe then pick one or two as a weekly feature for the site.

Damn I love these design blogs. As an artist, it is truly fascinating to gain insight from a designer's research and creative process. That's one reason I own the GW2 art book.

Oh, and Kristen totally nailed it on the Sylvari.

"Cars! Fighting! Pie!"

Giggled my ass off! :D

Drew, perhaps next time, before you write one of these articles, you could define your benchmark for failure. Without knowing that, the agument for and against will rage back and forth for millenia.

In my opinion, when a game shuts down completely, especially within it's first year of release, then it's a failure.

WAR has been going for what, a couple years or so, now? I deem that successful.

Whether the game has features that I like is completely irrelevant to success or failure measuring. Surely the only measurement of a MMO's success is it's continued existence?

Originally posted by eddieg50

I picked up a 3 month subscription card for AOC about 7 weeks ago, for 10 bucks I have not logged on in about a month and I see that they have me down as free 2 play, . I am not free to play because I paid. then I was looking at the free 2 play and what they give you and that really made me laugh, OMG that is crap, compared to LOTRO they dont give you a thing. AOC you suck

Funcom's F2P is crap? You're taking the piss right?

You get access to the majority of the game, with a few minor restrictions in classes and dungeon content, that you can pay for.

Not a bad deal considering you're NOT PAYING ANY FUCKING MONEY TO PLAY IT!!

Originally posted by yutty

Originally posted by synn

http://img2.sankakustatic.com/wp-content/gallery/misc-ero-x/tera-online-highly-sexy-highly-priced-001.jpg

 

http://img2.sankakustatic.com/wp-content/gallery/misc-ero-x/tera-online-highly-sexy-highly-priced-004.jpg

 

i think these are the images that some people are complaining about. I personally don't have an issue with this content, but whether it stays in or gets taken out won't change the fact that i'm giving this game a try.

lol the asians....

i actually laughed when i saw a vid on youtube with the weird music goin on. I dont really see these as pedo, now if they didnt have panties that'd be another issue. But i can see why some uptight ppl might freak out, even though they're so much more worst stuff thats gettin brainwashed to ppl through media in the states.

I dunno, I think they look kinda fun and cute. I find the overall art style attractive (or rather, pleasing to the eye, because it doesn't do anything for me on a sexual level).

Thing is, taking this kind of stuff out of the game isn't going to make a pedophile any less of a pedophile, just the same as leaving it in won't make a pedophile any more of a pedophile.

In fact, I'd venture that letting a pedo get his jollies from watching pixelated cat-girls is probably doing society a favour. If he's oggling this, at least he isn't oggling child pornography, and thus increasing the demand for such abuse.

Now, this next bit might shock some people, but I am not, by default, against 'child sexuality'. I am neither for it, though. It holds no interest or attraction for me. What I am against is ANY activity that inhibits a person's right to choose, and make an informed decision. Any act that takes away another human being's right or ability to choose is the highest of all sins.

But back to the point. Having seen the screenshots, it does look a bit cynical of the designers. Without knowing just how much Elin armour is 'tasteful', it kinda looks like they're marketting that race dangerously close to the line.

Surely they could have given the race cutsey armour without them having to run around in their undies.

The point isn't even that they are running around in armoured knickers. What's the lore behind them dressing like this? If there isn't any, then just give 'em bloody pantaloons and dresses or something!

I could see why some might see the Elin and immediately think the developers are capitalising on the child-porn industry.

Originally posted by jadedlevir

Originally posted by korvass

 

Can't they just spend a little more time developing/limiting Elin armour choices, to keep it 'decent'?

Srry for the double post. But to my knowledge, this is what their doing. Those images around the net of the "cencorship" are fake, and last i read they said they where changing some of the armour and their features to make it more appropriate.

Well that's a good step then. They're being sensitive to some people's concerns and making adjustments. Good for them.

Homo sapien... such a rediculous species...

Can't they just spend a little more time developing/limiting Elin armour choices, to keep it 'decent'?

I think the idea of a 'child-like' race in a MMO is rather novel. I have no desire to see them running around in thongs, but f it happened it doesn't bother me either. Being naked, at any age, is completely natural. It is us human beings who have made it something dirty, lewd and 'evil'.

I have no problem with sex in games. Sex is just sex. One of my favourite things, in fact, whether it be the actual act, art, porn, virtual, whatever.

I have no qualms about paying a sub if I enjoy the game. 10-15€ a month for (daily) entertainment is exceptionally cheap in my opinion. Compare if you will:

- How much does a TV license cost per year? In Finland it's over 100€ a year, and there's mostly only shite on anyway.

- Night out at the movies? 5-15€ depending on snacks? That's just one movie, 2 hours of entertainment, and what if it sucks?

- Beers with the fellas once a week? 20-100€ every weekend? And you just piss that back out again, or puke it all up. ;)

- New PS3 game every month? Hell, every two months, it's still more expensive than a sub, and how long does the entertainment last in your average console game? 20-100 hours?

Point is, if the company can make it work with a F2P model, then cool. To be honest, though, there really isn't such a thing as F2P. The first few years of GW, you had to buy the game, then the expansions, which amounted to a (cheaper) monthly sub if you think about it.

F2P might be the future, but I'm worried about the kind of future it is creating...

Oh, and on the subject of SWG, it does need to be shut down. The reasons have been given a million times now: contract is expiring, no desire to compete with SWTOR for a similar market share, and going F2P would cost money to develop.

Yeah, that's my only real problem with EQII.. I just cannot stand the damn graphics style! :) Everything looks like crappy plastic Barbie dolls wearing doll's clothing (you know, oversized fabrics that are too big and too thick for the doll).

I know there's that alternative skin job you can do, but they look like crap to me also.

If EQII had AoC/LOTRO/hell even WoW graphics, I would totally be there right now.

Jeez.... that's pretty impressive stuff!

Hoenstly? I'd rather developers spend their time doing what they're supposed to do: develop games and content, coding and stuff. Rather that than weekly interviews with people who are better suited to the role of making our games. As someone said, today's MMO crowd (generalisation) will just take it all the wrong way, and it would just be a 'he said/she said' shit-storm every month.

As long as I get a decent flow of information, with most of it being accurate, then I'm happy enough.

I don't feel the need to be able to talk to developers, and I'm sure they don't need to talk to me either. I can voice my opinions via their forum/e-mail communication systems well enough.

Think about it. If you sit the devs around a table with a bunch of gamers, all hey will get is a massive, chaotic diatribe that will be of absolutely no use to anyone.

Nice idea though.