Really like the game (finally something different), really sad I won't be able to play... There is no way I'm going to play on US servers... all my friends are in Portugal and I'm in the UK... MMOs are a way of keeping in touch...

This game has lots of really strong points, especially on the tactical side:

- Party composition

- Formation you use and movement in battle

- Lots of diverse abilities and the need to "cycle" through characters

When people hit the level cap I really think and hope that skill will be king in PvP.

Other elements aren't as advanced or not as much to my liking, but it still makes for a strong game proposition. I'm playing and enjoying it.

You have the main character, which you chose the class, etc. Then you hire other characters to your team. You start with 4 slots and eventually get all the way up to 9.

The game actually has some cool tactical bits into it, don't slag it until you try it.

Not all characters act each turn, you can "Guard" (usually with the guys in the front line), and they will get a bonus to defense and may allow one of your other characters which wasn't playing this turn to play.

You have 30secs to do your turn and you can party with other people and there are fights where that is actually needed, unless you are high level for the area.

I have been "following" the game and I'm really keen to play it. I'ver signed up for beta but wasn't lucky, since I had a laptop at the time (weak GPU) and I can't change those details now.

If they get the gameplay right, and everything indicates they will, with skill >> gear, then this will probably be the game that captivates me. I'd love to know when it's coming out...

I love your first post Pappy13, very insightful, the only correction I'd make is that the loot is definately much better than the non-raid gear, there is no comparisson (yes, even with the rep stuff and heroics).

I made a reply on heerobya's blog that relates a lot to this:

http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/heerobya/022008/1184_Casual-raiding-Typo-or-truth

I'm surprised we didn't get more comments from 1337 raiders on how they "earned" their purpals and on how casuals suck, because we all know that time=gear=skill (NOT!)

My main grippe with current MMOs is the grind tbh. I work full time and have a social life, therefore I can only dedicate a limited amount of time to MMOs.

I played WoW for 2 years, the problem is, raiding is just a huge grind and gets boring and the quest for the ultimate gear doesn't really excite me that much.

I much rather have an MMO where character setup and development make a character good, rather than the current trend, where GEAR=your character, which simply sucks.

To me:

Skill >> Time >> Gear

Gear should be more of a small bonus/customization and then looks, ofc.

Those numbers are impressive. I'm 34 myself and I have always been a gamer and even if I play less I still play quite a bit. The same happens with my mates and ofc since we actually earn money we don't mind spending some.

I do believe that there is a big market for a mature MMORPG, where the system is complex and things are challenging, while somehow not requiring 8hours a day to be competitive.

First some background about me. I'm 34, I played a LOT of games, be it board games, pen&paper RPGs, computer games, etc. I still love my games, but obviously I can't play as much as I used to.

This is an interesting discussion, but the fact remains that most MMORPGs are basically time-sinks, which is a shame.

More time = more grind = better gear/level = more power

A bit of that is alright, dedicating some time to the game is fine... the problem is games nowadays require your life. (OK, I'm exagerating a bit, but not that much really).

All the people that are "active" on game forums and on the "server" devote some serious time to that game. I guess that's why games keep on being developed towards the hardcore gamers.

Most people that really understand games don't use the forums that much. I used to, but the amount of useful information is very limited and it's not improving. I usually resort to a few smaller sites/forums. They provide valuable information, much better discussions and have a great community (mature people).

I'm not sure how you all pick those "Influencers", but I can tell you that you that checking the forums/blogs here would probably be a good idea. Let fun replace grind, let skill replace gear/levels