All Posts by Greek_Matt

The situation is very simple: if someone is keen or desperate enough to want to check out (or god forbid, help stress-test) AoC for three weeks before full release they can pay to do so. If they don't want to pay, they don't have to. There's no doubt it's shameless revenue garnering, but the fact is Conan is the most hyped and most heavily awarded MMO on the horizon for quite some time, so they can afford to wring out a few extra bucks from would-be players.

They're gambling that those who do opt in, having had to pay for the privilege, will be even more critical that usual open beta testers and if they find the game in an unfit state will not hesitate to say so. To me that suggests confidence rather than under-confidence, a power play rather than a sneaky move to trick you out of your money. Even from the early stages Funcom have always hinted that they felt their game was of a higher level of quality to current MMOs, and they were considering charging a premium rate as a result. This seems to go along with that ethos.

Great to see Aragon100 in here grinding up his post count. Guess the Darkfall forums must be feeling a little lonely now that everyone is leaving that sinking ship for greener sandbox pastures.

Originally posted by D3mis3

Who cares? Beta keys! Although I don't think everyone gets a key... I think it's a if you find him you get entered to win (they want to filter out the retards)

Originally posted by Aragon100

 

Originally posted by Greek_Matt

Originally posted by Aragon100

 

Originally posted by methosk

Am I the only one to realize, that the posts the OP quoted that have "stirred up the Darkfall" devs, were from OVER A YEAR AGO! Same with the VIDEO that caused all the comments....

Thread over?

 

Yeah a year make all the difference!! That AoC developer would NEVER make such a statement this year, lmao. He was acting like a little girl and i sincerly doubt he will ever loose his attitude problem and unproffesionalism. He was a immature prick a year ago and most likely he is one today.

Mmm... way to show your maturity there Aragon. And even though the comments were made a year ago, they're still no less true today. Big promises, no delivery, same old story...

 

That AoC developer were a immature, unproffesional prick a year ago when he made those statements. I bet he was afraid of Darkfall as a competitioner in the MMORPG genre and he made that statement to piss on something he and his developer group couldnt achieve, or didnt have the stamina for. Its like taking yourself and your skills to outer space and a " if we cant do it nobody else can" attitude. Seems Funcom is more into making overhyped trashgames, if youd ask me. Just look at their policy of keeping NDA til game is just about out and people preordering dont know what theyre buying, thats greedy if youd ask me. And its really not a way to convince people your having faith in your own product.

Darkfall on the other hand wont take a cent before you actually tried the game and decided its a game for you. Thats having confidence in your own product.

Take a look at what you're saying Aragon. On the one hand you're attacking Funcom for not disclosing all info about their game (for NDA reasons, which ALL companies keep in place until they enter open Beta), while at the same time you congratulate Aventurine for not bowing to industry pressure and disclosing anything at all about their game to anyone. Maybe if you took a deep breath from your high-pitched torrent of abuse, you'd let some oxygen back into your brain and see your arguments for the hypocrisy they are.

And it's pretty easy to say that Aventurine will give everyone a chance to try their product before they decide to buy it or not... this far out from any sign of release, they could be saying that they'll pay you to play the game and you'd still be swallowing it up along with all the other promises.

Originally posted by Aragon100

 

Originally posted by methosk

Am I the only one to realize, that the posts the OP quoted that have "stirred up the Darkfall" devs, were from OVER A YEAR AGO! Same with the VIDEO that caused all the comments....

Thread over?

 

Yeah a year make all the difference!! That AoC developer would NEVER make such a statement this year, lmao. He was acting like a little girl and i sincerly doubt he will ever loose his attitude problem and unproffesionalism. He was a immature prick a year ago and most likely he is one today.

Originally posted by Aragon100

Originally posted by Seggallion

 

Originally posted by Shannia

 

Originally posted by downtoearth

Yea how much info did oyu get before AOc or anyother game was in beta?

 

That has ZERO to do with this game.  The devs themselves have said they almost released 2x already but didn't get the publishing deal they wanted.  That being said, this game is supposedly ready.  That means we should have all the information we need.  That means that if they are still working on it, it should be nothing but polish at this time.  Yet we get no beta and very sketchy information.  Wonder why that is?

The reason for the serious lack of information is because "they got na'TING" as Sgt Shultz would say.

 

 

So you say that other games wasn't close to be done when they're were closed to beta/release? Or do you mean that they sould go out with all information about everything before beta? Or was all this drivel just so you should look smart when you wrote the last sentence? Please elaborate.

Personally i think she tried to look smart. Anybody else?

Shannia makes a totally valid point: either (a) the game is, as Aventurine claims, "ready to go except for a bit of final polish", in which case there would be NO good reason not to show a working model of DF in Beta, or at a gaming convention, or *somewhere*,

OR

(b) the game is not as ready as Aventurine claims, in which case they are lying.

Pretty obvious really, to (almost) everyone. Full credit to downtoearth, Aragon100 and Seggallion though for valiantly managing to draw out this non-debate for so many pages. Hoping you'll be the next "mystery guests" to be invited to Greece for a sniff around their internal testing labs, eh boys? Wouldn't hold your breath...

Originally posted by Seggallion

So you say I've can't play AoC because I follow DFs development? I'm not like you and your trollbuddies. I will try other games, but for some thats seems to be wrong. You're almost draw the same line with those games as supporters in sport do with "their" team.

Originally posted by Seggallion

Well not much unique with the game, more than boobies and gore. But I'll will give it an try and write a review.

Originally posted by Seggallion

Or maybe the AoC trolls are busy spamming Darkfalls section? Wich they do regulary.

Anyhow, the graphics sure looks good on screens and vids.

Play whatever you like, just don't get self-righteous when other people do exactly the same thing you're doing.

Originally posted by Seggallion

Well not much unique with the game, more than boobies and gore. But I'll will give it an try and write a review.

Originally posted by Seggallion

Originally posted by Rohh

btw anyone else notice theres been alot less trolling in here the past few days?

Or maybe the AoC trolls are busy spamming Darkfalls section? Wich they do regulary.

Anyhow, the graphics sure looks good on screens and vids.

Are you for real? And this right after you went to the trouble of posting dictionary definitions of "Trolling" and New Scientist quotes about its psychological roots over on the Darkfall forum, yet here you are. Seggallion, you're a joke.

Mostly I'm looking forward to the genre coming to life. The art direction looks superb, the open PvP servers will be filled with fear and carnage just as it should be. And finally an MMO that requires a little combat interaction, skill and tactics, not just the good ol' 1-2-3 fandango. Just hope they can optimize it enough to run smoothly, nothing will kill a twitch-based melee-range MMO faster than hitching and lag.

Originally posted by downtoearth

WoW you wasted alot of timeto type that didnt you.what are you trying to get?

Funny thing is What you going to do when m right about this game?

like argon said i would belive the devs over you unless they never have any body see the game which in fact they have every year.

Ps the devs have actully been to honest with us.

but you see you dont relize that do you.

There game has allf eatures in its being optimized like TAso said what taso said is true he has no reason to lie to us. darkfalld evs know if they do. and when it goes beta and its not liek what they say it is then the game willd ie right then and there.

1. there is no game then

2. The game is going to put a shame to all these other mmos.

And since we have conformation from diffrent people that the game is in dev and the devs treat the game like thre baby and are to stubbern not to put out a great game yea i think illt ake my chances. on darkfall then listing to a nobuddy

 Word of advice stop while your ahead

All you've actually said here is (a) you believe the promises because if they weren't true that would make the promise-makers look bad, and (b) the game will be as promised because the devs want it to be, and because they have no reason to lie (?!).

You definitely fit into the Blind Faith category there, chief.

P.S. Macaroni hats... priceless!

Nope, I just can't believe it. Time and again your response to any negative forum post is to quote the silver-tongued Tasos Flambouras' promises... promises which have been repeated for years now, with no concrete evidence to back them up (I say "no evidence" because the screenshots and `movies' which exist could quickly and easily have been cooked up as promos/demos independent of an actual game framework existing).

It's gotten to the point now where Aventurine's consistent lack of delivery is creating so much bad press amongst the gamer community, even among people who might have once been interested in a game like Darkfall, that there doesn't seem to be ANY good reason why they don't show something that might quiet the rumbling masses... except of course the obvious reason: that they don't have anything concrete to show.

And even that isn't such a big problem in itself - I think almost everyone here understands that Aventurine is a small indie company trying to step into the very complex world of MMO development, and that as such that they're likely to take a lot longer to produce anything than a more heavily staffed and funded studio. The real problems with this whole Darkfall debacle, as I see it, are:

1. Biting off more than they can chew - by attempting a project of such vast size and scope, with a feature list that would make most AAA MMO studios shudder, Aventurine are getting caught in the trap (with their comparatively small number of devs) of not being able to produce quickly enough to keep up with the passing of time and, hence, tech capability and peoples' expectations. This is especially evident (getting back to the original thread topic at last!) in the dated-looking graphic models. It's all well and good to say "they're low-polycount to keep bandwidth usage down" but the fact is these graphics are already looking clunky by today's standards... imagine how bad they'll look by the contemporary standards when (/if) they finally release, let alone 2 or 3 years later, the minimum lifespan an MMO would be shooting for.

[On a side note, some DF fans are also making erroneous comparisons between Aventurine and CCP, the indie developer behind EvE. While they both began as small studios, and CCP has stayed true to the initial vision of their game as Aventurine are claiming to do, that's where the similarity ends. EvE, for all its complexity, is a relatively simple game. Graphically it's pretty undemanding, having very simple animation and environmental scenery, which makes it a LOT easier for them to set the stage for mass open PvP warfare (which even still suffers from lag issues). Aventurine is attempting a project on a completely different scale of graphic complexity and system demands, and as such faces a much greater challenge if they are to succeed.]

2. Excessive rhetoric - the DF devs are talking up their product so much anyone might be forgiven for expecting the Second Coming of Christ. Forum communities these days (particularly around here) are a pretty jaded, cynical lot for the most part, so the tendency is for greater hyperbole to be matched by greater disbelief. The MMO landscape is already dotted so heavily with broken promises, failed projects and general disappointment that it's hard for anyone to believe the hype machine anymore. Aventurine's dev reports, with their lofty claims of nearing completion, of imminent Beta and of a revolutionization in MMO gaming, are merely adding fuel to the flame war.

3. The fan base - not since the pre-Vanguard hype have we seen such a zealous community so desperately defending the product they love, and this similarity is not lost to many forum users. Sometimes it seems less like a gaming community and more like a religious sect, such is the passion with which they shrilly leap to the defense of this game representing (or at least promising to represent) their hopes and dreams for the future of gaming. The fact that their belief relies in large part on faith (in the promises of Tasos et. al.), hope for a miracle (that such a small dev team can successfully deliver such a huge project) and attention-diverting witch hunts (AoC the latest sacrificial lamb on the pyre) only serve to cement this picture. And as with 2. above, the louder the cries the louder the retorts.

Time will tell if this game ever manages to release, much less live up to its promises, but I for one certainly won't be holding my breath. There are too many other interesting projects on the much more tangible horizon which I'll be investing my time and money on, though I'll keep watching DF's progress (such as it is) with interest... if for nothing more than the entertainment value of watching a car crash unfolding slowly before my eyes.

Originally posted by Aragon100

 

Originally posted by jusomdude

 

Originally posted by Aragon100

 

Originally posted by jusomdude

Just keep dreaming about the castle in the sky that is Darkfall while I'll be playing and enjoying a most likely better PvP experience in AoC with better graphics to boot.

 

Sorry but i dont play carebear games like AoC with instances, no loot, no free PvP nor consequences.

But you have fun with you streamlined WoW-copy.=)

Seems I hit a DF fanboy cord. Anyway, nice attempt at making an upset with the ever original carebear dribble.

 

I could call you a carebear for looking for an adrenaline rush, and some sort of accomplishment from a computer game... go join the military if you're so hardcore.

What about kill anyone you want on a PvP server is carebear? That sounds a lot like free PvP to me.

 

I like to play games from established developers... not some random start up who hasn't a clue what they're doing. Imagine how bad the game support/balance/quality is going to be if they are having a hard time even getting it developed in the first place.

 

Enjoy Darkfall while it lasts... if it ever even exists. =)

Wheres the loot?=)

 Wheres the consequences if you live or die?=)

Where is the open totally free world?=)

Where is the dynamic player driven world?=)

AoC is just another carebear game for kids that wanna play safe.

Darkfall gameplay will be so much fun. Cant wait to play in another dynamic player driven world, just like UO but in 3-D.=)

Where's the game? Oh that's right, still "polishing and shining while trying to decide on a publisher, but we could move into Beta anytime we want".

I do have to applaud Darkfall for one thing though: they're the first computer game to truly take RPG back to its tabletop roots, since you have to use your imagination to be able to play it. Sadly for DF fans the most hardcore PvP y'all will ever experience is right here on these flame forums. Make the most of it kids... this IS Darkfall.

1. Difficult to know the exact criteria Funcom is using, but as a general rule Beta testers are selected on a combination of factors such as (a) previous beta testing experience, (b) system specs, (c) maturity and in the case of Conan I'd also expect (d) community involvement (over on the AoC community site).

2. Funcom is based in Europe so I'd expect they'll be looking for a mix of Euro and American testers.

3. No, the dxdiag is only so they can check your hardware/system specs since many people don't know their exact specs, or get it wrong. I'm sure Funcom doesn't really care if you run pirated software or not. Why, guilty conscience?

4. The number of MMO's you've played in the past will go towards showing your overall experience level in this style of game, which might give some indication of how useful a tester you'll be. Since there's no way of Funcom knowing whether you're telling the truth or not though, I don't expect this factor would have a huge impact on their selection process.

Also there are a couple of other things you should keep in mind. Firstly, over 100,000 people have signed up for this Beta test. The chances of your being selected are extraordinarily low. Secondly, a beta test is not, as many (including you it seems) mistakenly believe, a free preview of the game. It's an opportunity to help the developers by systematically working through the content finding and reporting bugs, testing new features as they're added etc. It tends to be a lot less fun than the finished product, since many of the features are often disabled or lacking optimization.

It's likely there will be an Open Beta shortly before release which will be involved mostly with stress-testing the servers, and this is probably the soonest you (along with most of the rest of us) will get to glimpse Hyboria for the first time.

Originally posted by paulscott

I'll take AION's "fluffy fufu" to dirt and grit through the whole game.

I'm able to ignore just about any type of graphics except for the dirt and grit look after about twenty mins of being in the game.  not to menton the dirt and grit look always looks great the year it's made but is fugly three or four down the line(sure you'll only play it for one or two, but taking the dirt and grit look is like saying this game will end).

That's about the strangest logic I ever heard...   

For everyone else out there who's not an obsessive compulsive hand-washer, choosing an art direction style that perfectly fits your genre does not necessarily spell doom for the entire project.

Originally posted by Gameloading

Originally posted by Teiman

 

I can already Fly in a korean style MMORPG, is called Air Rivals. And not-suck, that is strange for a korean-style mmo.  But AION? what can save AION from that korean gameplay that western don't fully approciate?

Perhaps the fact that Aion is a game made for appeal to a western audience, perhaps?

Aion is nothing like the usual korean grinder. sadly, few people are open minded enough to look past a stereotype.

Time and again Gameloading leaps bravely to the defense of Korean MMO's with bold cries of "it's not grindy this time, really!" and "it's made to appeal to a Western audience!". Perhaps it's time to face the fact that the difference between Eastern and Western gameplay styles is an insurmountable one, and more importantly that it's ok to prefer one style over the other and not have to try to please/convert everybody.

For my money, the Conan gritty art direction, background lore and immersive combat system holds way more appeal than the shiny manga grafx and lightweight gameplay that are the hallmarks of NCSoft products both Eastern and Western (Lineage2, Guild Wars, City of Heroes/Villains, Auto Assault) but it's only that - my personal opinion. I can totally respect the reasons why many would prefer the latter.

Originally posted by Lobotomist

Actually it is not true at all. I went there with some good ideas.

One of them  was that "walk on station" avatars are not needed. But an idea for JG to do "comm link - avatars"

Personalised 3D faces. That pop up when you are having conversation. Completely similar to EVE , but animated. Something like they are implementing in Starcraft II.

I posted whole explanation of this, coupled with pictures showing examples from games that used 3D portraits - Freelancer , X2 ...etc

First two posts answering my tread were " If i see a player with stupid avatar , i will kill him on sight " , and other one was something along the lines of  "this post fails"

 

So not only that the bullies there could not come up with any explanation, why they do not like the idea , but the only way they can express them selves is by pointless insults.

 

 

As I see there are two fears in JGE fanboy community right now. First one is that the evolution of the game may bring more diverse crowd (read not all will be gankers). And the second is that the game may be more appealing to casual player (read children that play 10+ hours a day may loose the advantage of being uber gankers) This is why they are being utterly hostile to any recomendation , not along the line of
dry hardcore gameplay.

Bundled there is the usual "Go back to WOW" as you can see by above poster comment. Poster that naturally belongs to above mentioned bullies...

What can i say ... welcome to a forum where players actually do know something about MMOs , Smegit

 

 

 

 

I stand corrected :)

Can't imagine why your suggestion would be so difficult to implement... hell, even Quake sported the ol' animated character portrait, can't imagine it would blow the budget to bring it ahead ten years. Maybe it's just not L337 anymore...

Originally posted by impulsebooks

I do want a space combat MMO, so we are all good there, but tell me more about this WOW clone thing. Smeg, are you one of these people that believe PVE content makes anygame a WOW clone? If you are, I have to disagree with you.

I used to play games like Eite, Privateer, Freelancer, Wing Commander etc. None of these are MMOs true, but all of them had PVE content--the entire game was played against NPC "bad guys" and I enjoyed them. If JGE has no PVE, it will remain a tiny niche game and will never compete on the big stage. I want this game to do really well. I want the devs to be rewarded for their work, and in turn reward us for playing by adding more patches etc. The more money the devs pull in with subs, the more they can do FOR us in the game. Its simple as that.

PVE MMO players are a huge portion of the total MMO gamer community. JGE must include a mixture of content. IF the fantasy game Warhammer can do it with its RVR (PVP+PVE in factional wars) so can JGE.

Smeg, do you agree that PVE added to the game does not make a WOW clone?

This is just a guess, but from the previous posts on this thread I don't think the WoW comment was a PvE / PvP thing... rather, the impression I get is that Lobotomist was wanting the game to implement avatars that can walk around on-planet etc (as per SWG Jump to Lightspeed) as well as the spaceship flying stuff.

From my own experience, the last-minute implementation of an avatar system by a small studio (PotBS anyone...?) serves only to detract from an otherwise good game. Sometimes it really is just better to stick to what you do best.

Originally posted by Aragon100

 

Originally posted by jimsmith08

Conan looks better. Character model wise theyre similar,but Conans environments look lots better than Darkfalls.

Depends how the games look moving tbh,flashy graphics mean nothing if it moves like a crippled robot with leg splints. Plus how well do they run on a non super computer? Hows lag? Will I need to tune down settings to get a decent framerate? all kinds of variables you need to add in. Static pictures dont tell the whole story.

 

Aye agree, ingame is most important.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46j3ih9x5Xk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vECzr6FY5Zk

Seems smooth to me, a bit short though.

 

Are you serious?! Five seconds of animation render doesn't tell you a thing about gameplay smoothness.

In response to the general gist of your thread, I do think that the Darkfall graphics look pretty good in places, and I do like the more muted palette they've chosen (though I equally like the Conan palette which is so remi