All Posts by Tarka

Originally posted by arctarus

AoC is not down and out yet, given the resignation of that fella, and the recent  video by erling, i believe they are going in the right dircetion.... finally. So its a definately no for f2p. Heck! That's other games out there that's in a much worse state than AoC and yet they are still chargin players.....

Evidence to support the above has yet to materialise on the servers.  Time will tell.

As for F2P?  Don't be silly, no MMO that has a large budget would go to F2P so early.  They need to recoup their development costs first and you can't do that switching to F2P.

Want an MMO that SHOULD be F2P?  Just watch the latest Darkfall gameplay video.

Originally posted by Darkhosis

 

Yes the PVP patch brought in PVP and that was a lot of work no doubt, but that took approximately 2 months with NO substantial patches in between. All bug fixes and tweaks were also held back until the PVP patch was so big in the patch notes, it made it look awesome. Which when the you consider that the list was an accumulation of several patches into one, it wasn't that awesome. Though the changes were definately needed.

How much work does it take to turn on an existing PVP system halfway?  The PVP system has existed since BETA but they turned it off right before launch.  It took them 4 months to get the PVP patch IN.  Not 2 months...  It was 2 months since they had released a patch prior to the PVP one.  Even then the first 2 months of patches were just utter bullshit and fixed nothing and introduced more bugs. 

 I said 2 months to reflect the amount of time between patches.

You sound like you ain't happy with the rate of development.  And I agree. 

Not all of the bug fixes and updates in the last patch hung on the PVP update surely.  God knows why it was all held back together.

Fact is that since the PVP update there's not been any patch of any substance on the test server (looking at the test server forums).  Which means that there's not going to be a patch on the LIVE servers this week.  That means 2 weeks have passed since the PVP update.  They relaxed the timeframe between patches from 1 week to 2 because they couldn't meet the deadlines.  Which was ok.  But now they're proving that they can't meet the 2 week deadline either. 

My guess is that we'll see an update to the launcher info saying that they are moving to patching once per month on the LIVE servers, before we'll see a patch of any particular substance on the test server.

In the meantime, people start to be concerned about the lack of any kind of proof that development is continuing after the PVP update.  Sure, we've had promises of content to come and little notes from the devs saying that our points have been noted.  But where's the proof?  Will people have to wait ANOTHER 2 MONTHS before they will see the likes of Ymirs Pass?  And then ANOTHER 2 months before Commons District.  And only THEN will the high levelers see any development to entice them to play?  Does that mean that L80's won't see any content to meet their needs until 2009?

All the while, the community gets told "We'll release details when we're ready" or "We have noted your concerns, no ETA" or "We are working on a plan (we are penning it as we speak)".  In poker, these sort of things are called "Tells".  People notice them.  And sooner or later they use them to call your bluff.

There comes a point where words just won't cut it.  Action speaks louder than words.  And when there's a NOTICABLE lack of communication about development progress on ALL forums (EU, US and Test server).  People naturally start to ask questions.

The community (even those who have quit) REALLY want a reason to believe.  But they ain't being given one.

Originally posted by FischerBlack

Nice thread Teradyne.

I completely agree with the points you raise that make VG great. I spent hundreds of great hours exploring Telon and highly reccomend it to anyone looking for an A grade PvE experience. Imho it is the best PvE game out there atm.

The only thing that keeps me from playing it today is the lack of love from SOE. I have experienced near on everything the game currently has, and the rate of content addition is too slow for my $15 per month. If Smed took off his blindfold and realized how great the game is and doubled the Dev team and announced some expansion plans I would go back to my 50 Bard/50 Weaponsmith and 50 Cleric/50 Carpenter in a heartbeat.

So basically nothing has changed since about December last year when I quit.  The high end is still awaiting content, whilst the low end gets a trial island (rolls eyes) and a few tweaks here and there.

Oh and a permanent flying mount.

I think I'll stick with AOC.

Can someone confirm that THIS accurately reflects the latest gameplay graphics and combat?

http://videos.neoseeker.com/gameplay/742-darkfall-gameplay-video/

The big question I'd like to ask is that if you already played VG to top level and tried the raiding in the APW.  Is there anything to draw players back to it?

Also, has Diplomacy been developed ALL thought the diplomacy levels so its not a complete grindfest?

The graphics are very nice, the melee combat is awesome.  The game has a great foundation on which to build on.....in the future.

Are all the features in?
Which features are you referring to?  Directx 10 graphics - No.  Drunken Brawling - No.  PVP is in the game, to a fashion.  Though the next patch will introduce a Fugitive system.

What performance like?
Performance is good on the whole.  There are a few spots which are dodgy for me (one of the villas), but its not game breaking.

Pops?
Now this is where things start to go downhill a bit. People might still be paying, but many ain't playing.

Whats broken in the classes/skills?
I play a Demo, and ignoring some of the feats you get from the feat tree which are completely useless, I don't think the Demo has it too bad.

Dead areas in content?
I'd say levels 55 - 60, 65 - 70, 75 - 80.   Ymirs Pass zone is coming in (we don't know when exactly because the devs refuse to give details) which will fill levels 55 - 60.  There are 2 dungeons which they are working on for level 80(but they can't give any more info).   Then there's the Commons District, another zone which originally was going to be level 40+ until people started asking why.  We've been told its level range is to be raised to either 65+ or 75+.  No further details provided on the level range as of yet.

Whats the actual problem with the PvP if any?
Dunno, I don't PVP.  From the general concensus I'd say there's a lack of depth and direction.  At the moment its a little chaotic at high level on the PVP servers I believe.

 The main problem?  New content

The main issue with AOC is lack of clarity on what's coming and when.  People ask the devs and the devs reply not to ask questions directly to them because it will have the opposite effect.  So the community is left twiddling its thumbs.  People don't know if the likes of Ymirs Pass and Commons District is going to be 1 week till test, or 1 month or 1 year.  

The community is told "We will release it when it's ready" and "we are formulating a plan of action which we will HOPEFULLY get out to you when we can" and the immortal "We are already aware of the issue and have discussed it internally, no ETA".

People say "Give them time." But how much time is long enough before its too long?  Its like crying wolf all the time.  After a while, people will stop believing you.

Yes the PVP patch brought in PVP and that was a lot of work no doubt, but that took approximately 2 months with NO substantial patches in between.  All bug fixes and tweaks were also held back until the PVP patch was so big in the patch notes, it made it look awesome.  Which when the you consider that the list was an accumulation of several patches into one, it wasn't that awesome.  Though the changes were definately needed.

And that's the problem. The community has been left in limbo, with promises of new PVE content without any tangible evidence appearing on the test servers as of yet.   The test servers themselves haven't had an update of any substance since before 17th Sept when the PVP update went live. 

For now, all is quiet on the Funcom front.  Still, if you're feeling jaded about AOC, watch the new Darkfall video.  That will perk your spirits up ROFL.  How anyone has the guts to release such a pile of crap is anyones guess:

http://videos.neoseeker.com/gameplay/742-darkfall-gameplay-video/

The time it took for the pvp update to be released severely hampered development in other areas.  Yes, they were working on other things at the same time.  But had pvp been ready earlier then those devs could have been working on other things since.  However, that's in the past, and there's nothing they can do about that.

Fc's problem now is that they are all words and not ENOUGH action. 

Yes, they FINALLY got the pvp update out, well done FC. But how long will it now take them before Ymirs Pass actually hits the test servers?  How long to re-itemise the high levels to make the dungeons appealing?  How long to get Commons District and the 2 high level dungeons in?

Yes, they've only got a finite amount of devs.  I feel for them.  But the longer they refuse to give CONCRETE information on what is actually ready for test, then harder it's going to be to get people to return. Just look at the backlash of Vanguard for an example.

And communication doesn't just mean "we are aware of the problem and are looking into it, we won't release it until its perfect".  Action speaks louder than words.

Originally posted by SgtFrog

Originally posted by sepher

Try the Vanguard trial. It costs you nothing. If you don't like it, then there's WAR.

i did...but i hated it.

but i remember when i played the game on release it was fun but left for obvius reasons. :)

thatnks.

so thats 3 for vg and 1 for war :p

erm, well....I haven't played the Trial island for VG.  but I did get my sorc to 50. 

If you like PVE...then VG is the obvious choice.....but I doubt your view of VG would change if you hated the trial island thing.

Originally posted by Warpriest02

Half the undercity will be the same player town the other half where the apothecary is will now be a raid dungeon, varimarthas and the forsaken have now revolted against sylvanias :D

Is this something you've dreamed up?

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

Originally posted by Bodeus

So has there been any official talk of a "come back campaign"? You know where all the accounts of those who left and reactivated for a certain period of time. Has AoC reached a point where this would be a good idea to try to let people know that the issues they left over are better?

 Im going to level with you. The game has improved in many different area's. However, there is still lack of things to do at level 80, apart from PvP Levels, Siege, Raid and finish crafting up. This should be allieviated in the next few months by additional content being added.

The lasted PvP patch will get you working on PvP levels to try out new gear and that will last a while do to exp gaps (not an overnight job) and the second part of this update is coming most likely in the next few weeks ( Murder System ) which should put a diff spin on things and worth a look imo. If your not interested in these two area's and just a PvE'r and don't like the above, then wait for some more content, it won't be long.

 Agreed.  If the reason why you left was lack of level 55+ content, then stay off for another month or so.  In order for FC to implement a "comeback" scheme, they've got to prove that there is enough changes to warranty coming back.

Time will tell if the new GD has had any impact or not.  As they say "the more things change, the more they stay the same".  And please don't anyone quoting threads to prove communication.  Constantly regurgitating "We'll release it when its ready" or "We are aware of the issues and are looking into them" is not exactly moving things forward in the communication stakes.   Action speaks louder than words.

On a more positive note, they DID sort a lot of the memory leaks on the last patch (which also brought PVP in).   And there were a looong list of bug fixes.  Shame they borked pet zoning, but hey, what can you do.

Still, if you're a little jaded about AOC, check out Darkfalls video to REALLY emphasise that AOC is a lot better than others:  http://videos.neoseeker.com/gameplay/742-darkfall-gameplay-video/

Its an absolute hoot to watch just how bad animation can be in a yet-to-be-released MMO.  Yes, I know that great graphics don't necessarily make a great MMO.  But come on!  There should at least be SOME respectable standard that devs should be working too.

Originally posted by Alan0n

Hopefully we have woken them up again and hopefully they will start fixing the exploidable PVP system and broken PVE raiding system.   And then maybe fix the memory leaks and bugs.

One week minimum to next update !!

Note the two words in red.  Only time will tell if your hopes are well placed.

I've been watching the forums and read all the quotes on the EU, US and Test forums.

They can ALL be summed in the following:

Yes we are aware of the issues you are indicating, and are looking into them. No ETA I'm afraid.

That's it. Nothing more to see here....move along...move along.....

Strip away the blowing of smoke up our asses and the promise that things will get better and that's all you've got. And just to keep people enticed we get the usual:

Don't worry we'll have a guide / plan / vision / roll of toilet paper with my thoughts scribbed on it...coming soon (tm). 

Oh, and lets not forget the classics: "We read the forums every day".

Well obviously they do, they respond to any concerns with :  We'll release it when it's ready.

I'm sorry but regurgitating the same old lines is just as bad as not posting at all.

In the meantime, it makes one wonder if they are just expecting the community to just discuss / summise / guess / bitch and quarrel about things between themselves "ad finitum", in the vain hope that a dev on his tea break is actually reading what has been posted and will just decide to drop in and throw in the above comment to the community.  

Because that's the only time you'll get a response from them, considering the forums have also been told that asking for answers directly in the forums will have the opposite effect.  Even if you ask in a mature and respectful manner.

I'm sure that the new GD has had a good track record on Anarchy Online. But the MMO industry has learned that one cannot judge a person by his previous history in online games, he can only be truely judged by what he does in the present.......

Promises of things to come.......big ideas without any tangible evidence.....longer and longer periods between updates..... You know, this sounds familiar........

FC...you haven't employed Brad McQuaid as AOC's new Game Director have you?

EDIT: I think thenoobcomic.com has caught the subject matter well:  http://www.thenoobcomic.com/index.php?pos=315

AOC a disaster?  Are you talking about how you, personally, don't like it or how the game fairs relative to the whole MMO industry?  If its the latter, where is the evidence to suggest this?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not one person speaks for all.  Which is why the OP will find that a lot disagree with his points. 

There is EVERY point to having a story arc in an MMO. 

Firstly, its for those who actually enjoy them and dont just run round every quest giver, gathering up the quests to be completed in the least amount of time possible. 

Personally I watch films and play games to enjoy the story.  To me playing a "Sandbox" game is like playing checkers online, utterly boring in its concept.  This is because the majority of the time all the players do in a "Sandbox" game is declare war on each other and kill each other without any reason whatsoever.  So the whole idea of players creating a rich player driven scenario just goes completely out of the window.  I wouldn't class myself as an RP'er, but doing so has no sense of purpose at all.  Therefore, to me "Sandbox" games are extensions to the PVP gameplay style and don't lend themselves very well to a PVE environment.

However, I also have the opinion that going out to kill 20 rats in a PVE environment for no reason is also utterly tedious.  We are humans, and as such we like to feel that there is a purpose to everything. 

Secondly, a story arc provides such a purpose by making the players feel that they are involved in something bigger than there immediate concerns.  Not necessarily because the player is "the one", but still made to feel that they have some part to play in it all.  Even if its a small but nevertheless significant part. 

Thirdly, the story proves to the player that the devs have actually given some thought into how and why the environment was designed the way it was.  And not just slapped together without a second thought on the matter.

Now, coming back to the OP's statements, nowhere was it stated that AOC was a sandbox game.  Everyone knows its based on the works of Robert E. Howard and therefore includes the characters and scenes from his books.  That alone gives you a good idea how the game would be laid out.  Putting Conan into an MMO without any reason whatsoever would have been a pointless exercise, and even calling it Age of CONAN would have been pointless for a sandbox game. 

And so, to ensure that suggestions of any kind of linearity were in a sandbox game, the devs could have just called it "Realistic Medevil Online" and have done with it.   But they didn't.  It's based on an IP and will therefore involve characters and scenes from that IP.  And to involve them means creating story arcs.

It seems that what the OP is looking for, just like others have said, is a "Sandbox" game where there is freedom to do what you want, when you want with the minimum amount of restrictions.  Unfortunately for the OP, AOC was never touted to being a sandbox game.

Their main issue yesterday that the Plains problem.  If no big issues arise soon, then we may start to see a bigger list of bug fixes.

Originally posted by Zorndorf

 

Originally posted by brihtwulf

Ok, this game is NOT WoW, thankfully!  People should stop complaining because it isn't exactly like WoW.  The areas are broken up into multiple instances (much like EQ2 and TR) to prevent massive lag that would be there from hundreds of thousands of potential simultaneous players.  The game would just lag out and drop if it were an "open world".  And it uses "zoning" for a similar reason.  There is just too much data and too many players to be in a single continuous world.

Now, Warcraft can do this for one main reason: their technical quality is outrageously sub-standard.  Their characters are extremely low-poly and their textures are very low-res.  So the data both takes up little room and takes little time to load.  They can therefor "stream" in the content as needed when the player crosses a geographical threshold.  With AoC's visual quality alone, this is NOT possible.  And I'm not sure of the number of max players per server in AoC, but because they use this instancing formula, I would imagine it's higher than the few hundred you can have in a WoW server (before queues set in).

As for the dungeons, there aren't many MMOs at ALL that don't instance them in some way (except perhaps EQ1).  Technology, quality, and gameplay almost require dungeons to be instanced in some way to prevent overpopulation and players standing around screaming because the creature they need for their quest has been camped for 2 days straight by other players/guilds (EQ1 anyone remember?).

Ultimately it comes down to the question: is the game fun for you?  If it is, then play it.  If it's not, then move on to something else or go play your previous game again.  I would, however, give anyone playing this game the advice to get a bit past level 20 to experience the gameplay beyond Tortage (which is meant to be an introduction to the game).  If anyone remembers, the first 20 levels that encompass Tortage were originally meant to be single-player until the testers begged for them to include other newbies in the experience from day 1.

 

Biggest crap I have ever seen.

 

More then 50 people in a city and even your 9800GTS cards stop functioning. Instancing .

Ah, so now its 50 people that cause your system to hang.......before it was only "a handful" that was causing serious issues for you.

Wow, keep going zorf.  I think you're nailing what the issue is here.....you're simplification of the truth in order to suit your argument.