Man I would kill someone to get an updated/remake of AO. That game was incredible. Yeah the launch was horrible. But once it aged some and got stable it was awesome. Great game world, lots of non-combat things, a great skill/character progression system and cool classes. Man, I would really like to see that.

I am one who is enjoying the game but I think the review is accurate. Because of the points the reviewer mentioned one of which was doing the same exact content over with every alt, I do wonder however how long I will be interested in playing. Right now I don’t see this as being one of the MMOs I will play for a long time.

Some one else mentioned this as well but I would have liked the review to say something about teaming. Or rather the lack of. Teaming in this game is horrible, be it the lack of missions you can share, trouble keeping track of your team on the map, poor side kick implementation, to the all around reason that you just don’t need to, teaming is just off, to say the least. How this could have been messed up by the same people that made CoX is baffling. Even when you do team it’s just to add more offense, which you usually don’t need. So when you do team there’s no synergy needed at all. As one guy put it, it’s like soloing with other players. Yeah I like to solo, and there are times when I don’t have time to do anything else, but as other MMOs have demonstrated (such as CoX) you don’t have to abandon solo play for team play and vice versa. A MMO can have both.

The author brought up some points that I agree with.

I think the tone though, as others have mentioned, is off for a first impression type piece. Or maybe even any kind of game review/article piece not that I haven’t read others like it though before. It just sounded more like a rant/whine/complain article more than something professional. To me it sounded like a post you would read on a forum rather than something submitted to a game news site. I know people will disagree and such and of course that’s fine too. I’m not saying I didn’t agree with some of things that were talked about or that I hated it or anything, I’m just talking about the tone in general isn’t what I expected after reading a lot of articles on this site. Just my take.

Anyway, my view on where I agree or don’t agree with the article:

I agree that the lack of documentation or some kind of smooth introduction is criminal. You just stumble around the character progression and development system and don’t realize that the process, for most, is somewhat of a crap shoot. It sells itself as a “classless” system, which I think it is, but what it doesn’t explain is that you can’t just pick the powers that make up your build because you think they sound cool. Some people say this means that it doesn’t let you build a “theme” character. I don’t believe that. What I am saying is until you begin to grasp that there are other perhaps non-theme considerations your character (any type of character) will have to take into account there is a higher chance that you will find yourself frustrated when playing the game and you won’t know why. And I’m not talking about blocking or something like that. I’m talking about things like selecting (or even knowing about) a passive defensive power, understanding super stats and basic stats, how you decide which ones you should focus on for the type of character you want to be, which ones rise when you level, why it helps to pick a third and fourth stat as more minor considerations that will help your character grow and survive and what powers build on these stats and why. The stats the game tells you to focus on when creating your character are not always the ones to focus on to become the character you think you will be. None of this is made any easier by the fact that some of the tool tips are pretty cryptic, heh.

I don’t know about how the game was vs. how it is now as I didn’t play beta or in the head start so the game just is for me. I do understand people’s frustration however the more I have read about the changes. I can see why people would think/feel that the game they were playing isn’t the game they are playing now. True most all MMOs (if not all) have day one patch changes but this seemed pretty extreme. I can understand the reasons for the changes (they make sense to me) but it does seem like the way they introduced them was the wrong way to go about it. They had to know the game needed toughening up a good deal before the game was launched so you would think they would have made the changes in beta first so people would know what was coming and defiantly should have introduced them before the head start.

I disagree about the not feeling super thing. I feel just as super hero-like as I did in CoX. More so actually in this game because the combat is faster, the effects seem more exaggerated, and watching the bad guy’s attacks, moves and such is pretty much required so it’s just not the static kinda thing you find in lot of MMOs. Just feels a bit more like a super hero over the top type thing.

This wasn’t specifically addressed in the article but it is something I always think and post about when I comment on this game and that is grouping. I think this game has some of the worst grouping mechanics of the MMOs I have played. For one you usually don’t need one. Second you can’t share all the missions, third grouping and side kick experience is off and fourth as the system is “classless” no one really brings something unique or specifically helpful to a group experience. I know the last point is the trade off in a straight up class vs. classless system but maybe that means this aspect of the game should have been a bit more of a restrictive system (just a small amount) so that grouping players isn’t all about increasing offensive output. There is just no need to group as most of the content doesn’t require one. You can solo almost anything. It helps to team for real hard villains and such but for all the times I have done that I have gotten an invite from a player already fighting such a villain and losing. After the villain is dead most say thanks and take off. Yes, soloing is nice too and I like that as well but throw some teaming in there too. This is so weird to me as this is the same company that made CoX, a game I had a blast grouping in. I have read some posts that state that as you get into your late 20s, early 30s there are more group oriented things to do, but dang that is half way or more to the end of the journey. I have read more posts talking about soling to 40 though and just grouping for the “major” instanced content which doesn’t sound like a lot. Just seems to off to me especially, like I said, it is the group that made CoX. While I am having a lot of fun this does make me think the game won’t be a long term MMO for me. If this doesn’t change I don’t really see the point. Yeah CoX’s instanced missions got repetitive as hell but fighting with others in that game was lots of fun regardless. To me at least.

Longer than I planned this to be. Sorry.

Originally posted by Leodious

 

 

What's wrong with the armor in AoC? It looks like something someone would actually wear when they run around killing stuff. It looks believable. I like that.

I love AoC and am playing now. But the above is the only complaint I currently have about the game. I like that it looks like someone in this setting would actually wear as well. Realistic and tough. However my problem is that everyone looks a little to much alike. And sometimes alot. Also this is compounded by the problem this causes (imo) wherein as your character develops he doesn't look a whole lot diffent than he has all along. Tortage included. It isn't about the look of the armor to me its the lack of diversity. I remember seeing a behind the scenes video before the game was lauched and one of the modelers was showing all the armor models in the game on models of player character lined up row after row (ie. lots of models; lots of armor). So I don't think it is a matter of it not being in game. I think it is a matter of some kind of limited drop tables or something like that, they maybe they haven't gotten around to addressing.

I know when I see higher level characters, like around 75 plus, the armor starts to look very cool in terms of style, diversity both as individual pieces and as sets. But once you get the sets everyone looks the same again. Yeah, I know this is the way the high game is with every other x, y, z MMO I guess where this level range is concerned I wish you could mix and match more instead of players looking like clones. I would really, really like this MMO, and others for that matter, to take a page from LotRO where you can "turn off" what armor is visible allowing for what ever you have underneath, whatever it may be, to show to instead. That seems like a great feature which I don't understand why more MMOs don't follow.

But yeah as to your comment above... I like the realistic way it looks as well, I just wish there was more diversity in regards to what you do find and equip.

Despite the terrible launches I have liked both of FunCom's MMOs a lot. I played AO a long time and had a really good time. I currently play AoC and am having a really good time with that game as well. That said I think that Erling guy is a nut and I have no faith that the games launch will be successful. Like I said I like FunCom's games and am not a FunCom hater at all. I think the game will be good, I just don't think they know how to get the launch part right. It’s like they just don’t know what to do.

It's cool they are thinking about armor diversity in Khati. But what about diversity in the base game? I ask this question alot and no one has really said if it has changed yet. Has it? As far as I have seen everyone still looks the same. They stated and showed before launch all the sets, well parts of, armor that could be found but I certainly have not seen them. To look different now it seems you have to be level 75+. That's kinda pointless.

I played the game for a long time but stopped before the changes were made. It wasn’t because of them (I didn’t know anything about them) and honestly I can’t remember now why I stopped but that version, pre-change, is still one of my favorite, if not the favorite, MMOs of all time. So I feel for you guys both for this crazy banning thing and for having to fight all the time to get the game back up there. And yes I really have read the thread this far!

I have to say, yes, zombies are way out there. I don’t even know where an idea like that comes from. Some guy likes horror movies? But did they really have something called the “Ewok Love Festival”? That is incredible! LOL Does that really exist in SW lore?

Both are just incredible.

Do any of the staff really check this forum?

I don't play WoW so I don't really understand. How do you get labeled as number 1 in an MMO? Is there somekind of point system in the game or something? Is it just something that people/players agree on? Does Blizzard say something about it? Do they give out some kind of stat numbers? If it doesn't have anything to do with Blizzard how can you accurately say someone is number 1?

Is this all they do? I mean they don't have jobs or anything? Are they students? Was the comment that they are paid to play a joke?

The fact they were put on a stage and interviewed about it reminds of those articles you read about celebrity Starcraft gamers in Korea I think it was.

Seems kind of out there to me and it also seemed odd to me that they looked normal. I guess I was expecting pale white skin and unkempt hair. However it is a game so I guess there is always someway you can"win" it.

On a side note...didn't the interviewer keep pronouncing"Aion" wrong? She said "Ion" but I thought it was "A-on".

Just wanted to add that I came to this forum to post the same question. Is there a way to turn it off? Like the poster above I am wondering to if there is a setting to go back to the other way where the reply was shown in a table where you could see the whole thing.

Thanks.

I agree the look of this game has always blown me away. I stopped playing about 2 months just cause I didn't have enough time to devote to it, but I really enjoyed my time in game. One thing I have to ask though... is there armor diversity in the game yet? That was the only thing that I really didn't like about the game. Regardless of level everyone seemed to always look the same. It seemed to change when people would get around 75+ when players would get those cool sets. But seriously... who wants to wait and get anything that looks neat that late in the game?

Like I said that was only problem with the game. The rest of it was really fun.

Just read the article on the game as well. This thing sounds, and now looks, pretty cool. May have to fire up Caesar IV for a CBuilder fix now. ;)

I hadn't heard of this game before. I love city builder games. I grew up playing all of the ones from Impressions and then Tilted Mill. This sounds like a cool idea. Signed up for the beta and will hopefully be able to give it a go.

Originally posted by qbangy32

Yes the cell-shading is a toggle, so those concerned over it can switch it off.

Ah, well that puts things into a new light...

If this is the case I would really like to see a few screen shots of the same content side by side of cell shading turned on in one and off in the other. Just to see what's what. If you can toggle it I don't know why they haven't done that before. If they did it would seem like it would calm those down (yeah, like me) who are not to impressed with the graphics so far.

Originally posted by Reklaw

So far I can not say the screenshots excite me in wanting to play the game, BUT.........

Do feel that in motion it might be allot better then screenshots can display.

I hope so because some of those screenshots are terrible. That first one is really bad imo. I know they want to go for the "comic book" look but seriously I have only seen one batch of screens that looked really good. I can't say I am really excited about this game. Yeah, gameplay is king but I just can't get into a whonky looking game.

I loved CoX and played it a long time but this one has me stumped. I am really floored they went with this art direction. Just seems off to me.

I really want to like this game but so far I am not waiting on the edge of my seat.

I play about 90% of my games on the PC so this doesn't really affect me. But I have to say to support a MMO on three platforms sounds like a helluva lotta work both in development costs and customer service.

Good luck with that.

I think this sounds pretty fair and good. I just hope they don't take it to far in terms of what you need to keep up with in your continuing quest to stay "up to date". I know for me from 20 on I wore various items all around my level for the most part but I mixed and matched things for looks as well. So different slots of my character weren't always filled with the best I might have had simply because I liked the way my character looked with this item or that.

I guess I don't want this update to go to the point where I can't do this anymore. I want to be effective of course soloing and grouping but, for me at least, it is just as important to like the way my character looks. I mean isn't that the other reason people in these games (whatever the genre) want "stuff"? Not just for stats.

I don't need uber... but I do need some flexibility.
 

EDIT: I have been pleased with the way this guy is running the show. I think he is on the right track.

This sounds so cool. While I am sure that there will be plenty of junk content I bet some of the more creative folks in the game's community will create some gems that are probably better than what you can get in game now.

I don't have an account any more 'cause I played for two years and had just had it with the game. But I will be re-subbing to try this thing out. :) Can't wait!

Well, the game is under new leadership now so I think the program shows, at minimum, that their heart is in the right place. Or at least is getting there.. Regardless of the game I don't know how much of an impact this kind of thing actually has but again it’s another right step.

I have recently re-subbed and have been pleased with the experience thus far.

Thanks for the write up. I am interested in what people's play experiences are like. I would like to see even more articles on this as well. I think you get a better feel when a player writes a hands on piece.

Two things:

1. As dsebutchr mentioned, console and PC players on the same server imo is also dubious at best. That's not a knock on console players as I like consoles too but I think communication will be tedious. Yeah I guess maybe there could be some kind of voice chat system you could use but, for me personally, I don't want to be in on a "conference call" while I am playing. I can go to work for that.
2. Bill Roper is formerly of Hellgate: London and Flagship Studios and before that Blizzard. Unless he was in stealth mode he didn't have anything to do with the City Of games.

Hasani, as was discussed in the new screenshots article posts, some (myself included) thought the characters looked weird against the background in some of the earlier pics with this stylized direction they are going in. How did it look in action? Does it look 3D for the most part when playing? A number of the early shots seem kinda flat. They are obviously 3D but the overall look is just somehow flat and kinda dull. I would like to hear what you thought and saw. You mention vivid colors but what does it look like when playing perspective wise?