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Originally posted by vesavius
 A fine set of criteria, but we are really talking about Aion. Did you buy the game? If so, assuming that you liked the concept and what it seemed to offer based on the fact that you forked out for the client, what would make you go back?

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I kept myself well informed about the game up until finding out it would be P2P - at that point I lost the interest (due to the previously posted criteria). Let me make myself clear (again): I refuse to pay in advance for a game, and a monthly fee on top. I wouldn't be happy even with just paying for the game and playing for free afterwards - because there's no guarantee I'll like the game that much. When I do, I usually spend big, but never before fully testing it (which usually means reaching a decent level and knowing the game content in and out). Money down the drain is money down the drain, no matter the ammount - and a game I'm not liking nor playing is just that.

The key to keeping a game alive is not bringing old players back, but attracting a new crowd. Usually there's too much history between the ones that decided to stop playing and the devs & publishers to ignite the old spark again, while new players see the game through the eyes of a beginner that marvels at every corner.

IMO going fully F2P is the way to go - no wonder some veteran games decided to make the switch after years of P2P.

My rules for joining any MMO are the following (in this order):

1. F2P - Not because I can't or I'm not willing to P2P, but because most games fall short on delivering interesting substantial content past the beginning levels; I like to take my time and decide if a game is really worth investing in or not.

2. AT LEAST 1 PVE ONLY SERVER - I hate griefers/gankers and idiots. I like to be able to level up and quest in peace and pick up a fight only if and when I feel like. I don't mind consented PvP, like Server/Nation/Faction/Guild wars, Arenas or Duels, but I hate forced PvP - and I really hate the games that have set quests in PvP zones thus forbidding you from advancing because a high lvl scmuck decided to camp that spot 24h/day (like RF).

3. ADJUSTABLE STAT POINTS AND AOE SKILLS - I prefer to allocate the character points myself, as opposed to a set build. That's what makes the difference between players and can help more than uber gear if played right. On the other hand I hate killing mobs one by one - especially if the game has prohibitive prices for in game HP/SP pots; and preferably no cooldown for PvE pots.

4. LAST, BUT NOT LEAST: MEANINGFUL INTERTWINED CONTENT - I like the games with intelligent content; I'd like to see a real reason/meaning behind all the possible in game activities, and not just something to do when you get bored of levelling/questing/PvPing (I loved Runescape for that aspect - nothing was random and eventually things were getting linked together for more complex results). Further more, I like when the main story line is fully implemented in the game content and not just some quest texts with no real connection to what's really going on in that game.

There are a lot of games runing atm. Sadly many will be closed in the forthcoming months/years because of poor management and slow reactions to the current dynamics of the MMO market. A smart company will cater to all (or close to it) the player needs, because now ppl have a lot of options and are not bound to 1-2 games anymore, so it's difficult to catch their interest for extended periods of time - especially if you're just limiting yourself to cloning another successful MMO (and suck at it). So better wise up, see what business formats & preferences are popular and go with the flow. Fail to do so, and expect to close the game shortly. Patience is a rare thing these days...

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Originally posted by AhyaAikawa
One nice feature is the ability to take the same character and switch between PVP and PVE servers, so you don't have to maintain separate characters.

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...however, if you do decide to build up new toons, keep in mind that a lot of CS stuff is BOC (bound on character): mounts, fashion sets, etc - so if you think you could swap them among your characters...well, forget it! Way cool way to milk the players' pockets dry, ey?

All PW games are created & structured the same way. So for anyone who's familiar with any of their previous titles, all this is known.

- the reason why they've implemented the auto path is simple: a). this is becoming a normal feature in most asian MMOs, and b). some of their games have a built in bot system that allows you to grind while being away from the PC - legally. But of course, it can be done only by buying certain cash shop items that are consumed while on auto. Ppl need to get to their spot fast, and they're paying for that; ppl are lazy and don't like repetition - running on the same paths 100 times a day is not everyone's kind of fun ;)

- the "pay to chat" function is actually a good thing IMO: less gold spammers and immature kids. Of course the usual rich & bored kids will still abuse the system, but at least they're doing it on their own expense.

- most PW games allow their players to reach a higher level before putting some serious cash shop pressure on them; further more, they do give their noobs those (in)famous "starter packs/boxes", that often give item mall content. It's only a matter of saving all the valuable stuff and using them only when really needed. ON THE OTHER HAND, this company is wellknown for knowing how to milk their players dry, so anyone willing to play one of their games to the top should be prepared to shell a lot of real money (I did it myself, so I know how costly it can get) - if you wanna be a top dog, then you're gonna be a top cash shop spender, too - sadly, it can't be avoided.

I've played this game since the 1st day of CB. I've also spent a small fortune on cash shop content (this freakin' game has the most addicting gambling system I've ever seen in a game - sadly, the most expensive too). I decided to quit as a T5 ascended with only a few levels away from lvl cap, so I had the chance to test the game in and out and learn every single trick.

Here's my advice - download, install and play JD ONLY IF:

1. you are willing to spend a lot of cash (and I mean hundreds & thousands, not peanuts) FOR A VERY SLIM CHANCE to get what you need; that's right - you can spend a lot of money and still not get a cool mount or fail refining your gear! Why? Because JD has a freaking stupid gamble system and a lot of cash shop content is designed that way, so when you're buying an item, you're actually buying a lotto ticket. And don't think CS content is cheap - quite the opposite.

2. regardless of the game feeding you all sorts of CS freebies via the noob boxes, you will be forced to charge your credit card if you want to keep playing. The prices are simpy put crazy! There's no way for a new player to get eveything he/she needs without touching the CS.

3. last, but not least: be prepared to deal with a publisher that doesn't give a damn about their players, powerless GMs (since the publisher can't alter game content, for every single little change they're forced to beg the Chinese devs to do it - and since the Western market is not their priority, nothing can be done most of the time) and weekly updates focused only on cash shop content (while notorious and critical bugs are still ignored - fix the damn Fort!)that destroy the feeble balance of the player tradings and drive the prices up.

It's really a shame, JD is an awesome game, but the devs and the publisher will kil it way ahead of time. I'm tired and sick of seeing this happening on and on...these guys don't seem to learn from the failure of other MMOs, do they?

I downloaded this game only because I was bored enough to try a game with cartoonish chars while waiting for some CBs...well, well, what a shock :) Zentia turned out to be one of the nicest surprises of this year :)

The game looks great! The screenshots don't do it justice. Zentia's world is very detailed, colorful and designed in such a way to keep you entertained and amused all the time. The characters are hilarious - for once I don't mind the lack of char costumization and tbh it's an interesting aproach: choosing between a lot of premade toons as opposed of having 4 - 8 chars with minor look variations. There are different animations that can be triggered by changing the char's mood - which (again) are funny to watch :)

Zentia has a nice collection of activities that will keep you hooked for hours - ranging from in depth crafting to hunting & taming (both pets and mounts), instances, and also random quests and events that are triggered while killing mobs - so grinding is not a dull repetitive action.

The quests are nice. Nothing out of ordinary, but plenty and with different levels of difficulty. The main game story is about you becoming an immortal, so there will be a lot of challenges to train and help you advance. There are a lot of escorting quests, team based quests, gathering & killing mobs type, scouting, defeating bosses, and so on. It's worth doing most of them because the rewards are good (all my current equipment is from quests).

There are also a lot of little things to do when you're bored of questing & grinding (mini games, quizes, lots of daily events, you can even join the city dance group and party on the streets to gain xp while afk.

Like I said earlier, there are pets and mounts that you can catch yourself (it's pretty fun, trust me). A lot of them! And the best thing about it is that these are not just decorations, both types can learn passive and attack skils to help you in battle or boost your stats.

There are multiple ways to interract with other players and the game encourages player cooperation - you can ask for help via the world chat, there's also a Master - Apprentice system, some daily events or quests that reward the players for helping lowbies, and so on.

There's also a clan & guild system, as well as various PvP options (including daily events).

Overall Zentia is a very well designed game, with lots of options and with a focus on the fun side; there are many times when the game doesn't take itself too serious: from the weird and funny quotes mobs display when you fight them, to the goofy look of most pets and mounts, and even player toons.

It's well worth trying this game - IMO is better than most MMOs. For once you'll play a game with strong and complez content with a smile on your face :)Have fun!

You know (talking in general, not as a specific reply targeted at the OP), IMO it's strange that P2P fans diss the F2P + cash shop games so much because paying a weekly/monthly fee won't grant you instant success and the valuable items (such as powerful or unique armos or weapons) will still be sold between players for a ton of cash (and frequently real cash) in these P2P games. They act like something is wrong with the cash system, but I don't understand why they keep playing such games if they don't like 'em (nor why they'd be interested in such MMOs in the 1st place).
The F2P MMOs do give the player a choice: you can play the game and decide later on whether you wanna keep playing and start buying cash shop items, or you can move to a different game - but in this case you'd still be in advantage, 'cause playing that game for a while didn't cost you a dime. Sure, usually the cash shop users have an advantage, but it's one well paid with real cash so as long as you're not willing to do the same financial effort as them I don't understand why you'd be pissed about it :)

Now back to the topic: I've played a few good MMOs during the last few years. Some were realy good content wise. And yet after a while some went dead. Like I've said, the conent was good enough to keep ppl hooked so why those failed to attract new players and keep their loyal veterans? Well it was the publisher that put the gun to the MMOs' head and pulled the trigger. You see, IMO it's useless to have a good team of devs to produce a good and entertaining game if you're gonna handle the bussiness to a bunch of ignorant and greedy publishers. It's usually the publiser's fault for not being open enough and attentive enough to pll's complaints and also the responsible for forcing ppl to leave by overpricing the cash shop items or intentionally altering game content in order to force ppl to start using the cash shop (in most cases this means altering the crafting/refining success rate, altering char stats to make them buy special pots or gear enhancement items, and so on).
Now for once JD's team struck gold: instead of ending up with a game full of botters and gold traders, they've found a way to get rid of such pests (that you normally find in any MMO and especially in the asian ones). They've implemented the esper system that makes botting obsolete, lowered the mob gold drops & item drops, gave the high lvl players a purpose and advantage for powerleveling lowbies, but most important, they introduced the jaden trade system which allowes players to buy the coins for the cash shop only with game gold, and not real money - so they'd still be competitive. And funny thing, it works! I was able to buy any cash shop item I wanted (including several mounts, pets, fashion outfits, etc) without spending my real cash which to me was the most important aspect. And once you reach higher lvl maps and get the hang of the daily events, you'll make enough money wo but such items ;)

The thing I like the best about JD is that it really gives the player the feeling everything was implemented with a specific purpose, and not just something thrown in there 'cause any other MMO has it. I mean: you join a clan and thus gain access to the clan skills (which really help); but it's up to you to lvl it up; further more you become part of an alliance. By doing so you gain access to clan and alliance quests, but you also have to donate to help your clan and alliance. Your alliance can go to wars, fort battles, your clan members can help you in battlegrounds, etc; or you can get married and start doing the special quests for the married couples. Or fish every 2 hours to get a fish cert to enter the Mastery in order to make mokey, get extra xp, quests, and so on. Ppl say "why should I spend a lot of money to make my pet evolve?" - well how about getting a pet so powerful that would outdmg you and KO your opponents (not to mention some of the awesome skills these pets can have, like healing, hp draining, and so on).
Even the factions are pretty fair balanced and each has its own tricks so no matter which side you choose you're still going to get your share of fun and will shine at some point in game.

As for the cash shop....I see no problem really. Sure lvl 90 is a pain in the ass and will force your hand in order to make you start spending real cash on the game, but if you manage to produce enough gold you'd still be able to buy those needed CS items without wasting your real money. I own pretty much everything that's been released through the cash shop - all bought only through the jaden trade. I grind during the night and spend the rest of the day doing the events or scout the market for good deals.

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Originally posted by beavermonk
That was no review. Simply sick of seeing alot of lil wack kids crying about stuff they know nothing about. If you dont like my post then blow it out your ass. It was my personal opion which I am entitled to. I think mmorpg needs to start being adult only or something I am sick of being flamed everytime I make a post by some lil kid who thinks he mature beyond his years. Go do your monkey bud !! 
 
[]Deace OUT Nigz

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So who are you: lath456 or GTester? :)
I don't tend to believe someone who hasn't managed to reach at least half of the game content when talking about how good or bad that game is. And considering the powerleveling the high lvl players grant ppl might hit 50 (which is still only 1/3 to level cap) without actually spending any time playing and learning the game on their own, so of course they're clueless and pissed off. You can get any item from the cash shop without spending a dime of your real money and game gold is easy to get after reaching higher lvl maps and doing some daily events. A lvl 80 - 90 player can normally make at least 100G a day (if you're not able to reach that than something is wrong with your char) which is more than enough to get pots, good gear and still make a good profit. I have spent so far zero real money on the game and still I own several mounts, cash shop pets, fashion outfits and well refined gear. It's not that difficult if you really put some work into it.

Anyway, I'm back with the rest of the info I've promised:

a). MOUNTS - so far these are cash shop items only; rumors say once a certain NPC will be in game ppl will be able to get a free timed mount, but we'll have to waity and see whether that's true or not. You can currently choose betwen 4 "normal" mounts (these are always available in the shop): frog, bull, ligera, and the horse type one. In addition to these you can also get a so called "rare" mount - these come from special lottery boxes as 1st prizes. Not many of these are currently in game and those lottery boxes are sold for a limited period of time. The important thing about mounts is that they all have the same moving speed (+6.00). It's important because some cost more than others so it's only a matter of looks & personal taste to choose which to buy, it won't affect its performance. Once you use them they become bound on player (it's not possible for the moment to unbound them). Mounts will take you faster to various sport and hunting grounds and become almost mandatory from lvl 90 up (due to your esper starting to consume energy). The main difference between these and the skyblades is that you can fight while mounted (and also using skills).
There are still a ton of those to be added in the future, including flying mounts (phoenix, dragon, etc).

b). SKYBLADE - the name is self explanatory: it's a sword which flies. Bu using it you gain access to certain areas and NPCs that are unreacheable (or very difficult to) otherwise. You can't fight on a skyblade and also can't use any skills. It's good to fly you over aggro mobs, makes the jumping quests easier to finish and...looks cool :) Skyblades, unlike mounts, can be upgraded by gaining proficiency points which ultimately makes them move faster and also changes its apprearance. So far you can either buy them from the game's cash shop (currently available: glister & onyx fury; the clous shuttle is not available anymore, it was a rare prize from one of the 1st gambling boxes. These require lvl 45 to to use them) or take the "skyblade quest" that will give you a free 3 days skyblade (the quest can be repeated 1 per week).

c). REFINE/IMBUE - there are 2 ways to enhance the stats of your armor set & weapon.
- refine: will enhance specific attributes of your armor set (armor = def, helm = spirit, boots = hp); refine will also make your gear glow. The maximum + is (in theory) 20, so far ppl were able to refine up to +10. If you fail to refine an item it breaks. There are some items in the cash shop that are supposed to help you not break the items (the sigils grant 100% success but it costs a fortune to use them on gear so they're not worth, these will prolly be needed for the deity gear; the rest of the items will eiter add a percentage of succes - 15% or prevent the loss of the item bu downgrading it 1 refine lvl).
- imbue: you can use various talismans to add certain bonuses to your gear (hp, evasion, def, attack, resistances, etc). It's a much cheaper and easier process than refining and if you fail you won't break the item, it just resets to the initial value befire imbuing).

d). CRAFTING - there are a lot of things that can be crafted (armor sets, weapons, charms, pet gear, rare items, etc). In order to craft you first need to complete an easy beginner quest. After that it's only a matter of gathering all the necessary mats (these are common mob drops and the market is flooded with them so they're very easy to come by; NPC shops also sell them) and recipes. You don't need to go to a certain area or NPC to craft so doing it on the fly (while grinding for ex) is possible. It takes a lot of work to get to higher crafting lvls but it's well worth since the higher you go, the more money you'll make (it's one of the most important sources of money making).

e). PETS - every player gets a free pet (either a dryadling or a woody pig). These pets can fight and help you kill mobs and after reaching lvl 30 they can also gather various mats and use them in workshops to make pet gear and stuff. The pet system is pretty complex, it involves various start signs that determin their attributes; they also have random skills so even if you're using a free pet while others have cash shop one, you can still be the owner of a better one. In order to use a pet you frist need to tame it the tame master. Pets need belly refilling food. They grow both in lvl and grade. After reaching a certain grade lvl (12 and 18) they change appearance. In order to achieve that you need to train them with special jade pieces (leash) that will enhance various attributes and make them grow (either by doing the "free lunch" quest or by using celebeans). It's a long and expensive process to make a pet fully evolve, but IMO it's wort hdoing it, cause you'll end up with a powerful companion (I've seen some high lvl players getting KO'ed by some fully grown stonus). Pet can wear their own special pet armor sets and they....talk :) (what they're gonna say to you depends on their civility...some are very loving and curtenious, while others are cocky and rude...even cursing a lot).
In addition to the free pet you can also buy some sort of improved looking pet from Totto (they cost 120G though) or from the cash shop (stonus protector - a golem type pet & kuzge - a rat). There's also a fairy that pops from time to time in the player shops (it was a prize from one of the first lottery boxes).

Well, as you can see there are a lot of things to be learned about the game and a ton of stuff to do. I've merely scratched the surface, really. That's why the game has that esper/bot system implemented: so that you would be able to grind while you're away from the computer and have the rest of the time to enjoy JD's content. In addition to what I've presented here there are a number of daily and weekly events that will keep you busy. Some grant huge chunks of xp, other will prove to be money making machines :) Leveling IMO is pretty fast, considering the game has been in OB for about 2 months and there are a lot of 120 - 130 lvl players (lvl cap is 150). There is also a cool feature to be implemented later on: the ascension system. Once a player reaches lvl 135 (max being recommended) he/she can choose to reborn, which means starting over from lvl 15, but with greatly improved stats, access to completely new skill trees, special deity (and more) gear sets, special mounts, etc.
On a more personal side note, the thing I like the best about JD is that all the things and features of the game are well connected; there is a reason for each part of the game so it's not just something to be thrown in there. For ex: in JD you can fish - ok, nothing special so far, this is a common feature in asian MMOs. But here's the JD twist: after reaching lvl 45 you can enter the Fishing Mastery competition (daily event); this event can make you rich (if you manage to catch the 1st or the 2nd prize fishes) but in order to fully take advantage of that you need to improve your fishing skills (by getting some special titles for delivering certain books that drop during the event); further more, you can obtain seconday quests from some items that you can fish there or extra xp for delivering a special type of fish. So let's say fishing is not you thing.....then you'd like to let other players to see how good you really are? Then start your ascension in the JD ranks (honor, lvl, piety, culture, charity, wealth, romance, etc). If you manage to be in the very top you'll start to receive honor gems (wekly) and those will grant you access to special honor and deity gear (see how these connect?).
Or maybe you're a true romantic and wanna find your other half in game! You can even get married! Sounds silly? Well, not really, 'cause married coupled get access to a special set of quests ;)
Or maybe you're the true warrior type...how about joining a clan? I know, almost every single MMO has a guild system. The difference is in JD there's a purpose in it and how successful your clan/alliance is depends entirely on your work & determination. So, why creating or joining a clan? Well, first of all you get access to some special clan skills. In order to make those more powerful you'll have to finish some special quests. In order to make your class grow you'll have to donate some specific items. In order to get renown for your clan you will have to complete special quests in all the game maps as a group. You can also gain personal renown in the clan by donating and you also gain access to some specific clan and alliance quests. More clans can form alliances (tha can also grow and get renown and power like like I've previously explained); alliances can go to war against each other or participate in fort battles (these will give great prizez, including rare mounts); but to enter a fort battle an alliance needs to reach a certain lvl (which means a ton of construction points) and will have to pay a certain fee (rumors say 150G).
So you see, it takes a lot of both collective and personal effort to reach high end content and become powerful in game. The system gives a goal and purpose to ppl, it's not just something that's been implemented 'cause it's something any MMO has, the JD's devs actually took the time to develop a strong concept around all these cool features.
If you wanna find out more just download the game and try it for yourself. Who knows, you might even end up loving it :)

Ok, so here's more info regarding JD:

1. classes/jobs/races/etc - In JD the are currently 5 factions, each with their own skills. At lvl 15 you get a quests that will allow you to choose any of the 5. The good thing about JD's system is that not only each faction is interesting to play on its own, but most important each of the 5 is viable and competitive, so there's no "choose only that X class or you're gimped". Some have AOEs, other don't; lupins have insane crits (they're the equivalent or assassin/rogue from other MMOs), while Vims have overall very good defence and hp (aka the tanks of JD). As I've already tried to explain, JD's factions have similarities with the usual classes you may encounter in an MMO, but they also have their own thing.

2. skills - in JD once you join a faction you get access to a specific skill tree; the good thing about it is that each faction has enough tricks in their bags to neutralize some of the skills you normally hate when used against you in an MMO, such as stuns, sleep, and so on. Some can stun, others have a buff or defuff to hold that attack, so in the end all are pretty balanced and each faction has its own moment of glory throughout the game, so you might suck at a low lvl, but pwn like a pro as a high lvl.
In addition to the normal faction tree (which after completing some quests with increasing difficulty allows you the access to new skill trees) you have the tome system, which is a separate set of skills that either reinforce your character (lots of passive skills, buffs and so on) or the effect of some attack skills, making those even powerful.
However you get only a limited number of skill points as you lvl up so you have to be careful how you allocate them.
Last, but not least, you can also craft charms, which are some items that give additional HP & SP points, but most important, they also raise the eefect of a specific tome skill.

3. esper/auto bot - this is one of the coolest features of the game.
It's an item that will allow you to auto grind (you can set it up to auto pot for you at specific periods of time, let you use various skills while afk killing, can choose to target normal mobs, elites, bosses, quest only and so on; further more, you can make a list with what specific items to pick up or not - which is important 'cause you have a limited bag); each esper has also its own skills and can be upgraded. You can also add various tags that will add a specific effect while using the esper (like increased def, attack, evasion, etc)and also bloodsmelt it to obtain a more powerful one with additional stats (orange stats). It's way too complex to fully explain the whole esper system in a few words, you'll have plenty of time to test it if you're gonna join JD.

4. quests - JS is a MMO focused on quest xp rather than grinding xp; there are tones of quests (some are mandatory) that give various rewards, from gold to xp, valuable items and cool titles. They are structured on categories (mandatory, classic, voyage, etc). Those will keep you busy for a long time. At higher lvls you get less of these, but you get instead the sleepless one, which basically gives a substantial xp boost for killing specific mobs. Some of these quests can be repeated, some are one time only, others will pop out only when doing certain activities or at some specific game time; some are challenges that are timed. You will love or hate the famous "jumping quests" :) Anyway, you get the picture ;)

5. events - in addition to the normal quests and grinding, you have weekly and daily events. Some are for xp rewards, some are for money. Most popular are Crisis, the Astrals, the Fishing Mastery and the Books event. some can be soloed, other require a party. Not mandatory, but definitively fun ;)

6. pvp/pk - JD currently has 3 servers, each having 15 realms. 75% are PvE realms, the rest are open PvP. In the PvP ones you can kill any other player, but if that player is a hite name you will get infamy points (1 infamy point = 2 hours of pink/red name). If you're a pink or red name there's a chance to drop an item at random. Don't worry, most things are bound on player (if you're using the free armor sets). Pink/red names can also be killed in any PvE realms while they can't respond *that's why most of them once they go pink/red just wait in safe zones). In PvE realms you can't attack other players (unless they're pink/red names) but you can duel other players on request (no penalty) and there's also more organized PvP, such as alliance wars.

7. clan/alliance - in JD you can join a clan (guild); clans have some specific skills (increased hp, xp, etc) than can be upgrade. More clans can form an alliance (these can also be upgraded). Alliances can perform alliance wars, battle forts, and so on. JD encourages organised PvP rather than random ganking - there's also a prison for the ppl than tend to exagerate with random killings. There are various ranks for clans / alliances and even personal player ranks.

Pfff....more to be added soon about: mounts, skyblades, crafting, refining, honor, and so on - as you can see, there's a lot to alk about - and that's only the tip of the eisberg :)

That's another fine example of how misleading, ignorant and full of shit is a review written by a noob that seems uncapable of understanding what's going on in that game can be.

JD is by far the easiest MMO I've ever played; it has no grinding at all simply because it has a fully functional auto bot that allows you to train your toon for hours without your eyes glued to the PC monitor. You can set it up to use skills, auto pot, what monsters to kill and so on. As a beginner you will alo receive a free HP battery that will keep you going until reaching lvl 30 or so. In addition to taht you get free 2 hours of double xp every day + 8 hours of buffs that give increased attack & def. Further more, you get free armor sets up to lvl 90 (out of 150).
CS items do help but are no mandatoy in any way, and most important: you can exchange in game gold fo real cash (jadens) wo you don't actually need to spend a dime to get the cs items.
Don't believe this idiot, he/she has no clue whatsoever about JD.
To be continued...

I wouldn't expect too much from this new instances TBH...NoM is still highly unbalanced, but Ystra's corridor (which is supposedly also a lvl 35 - 40 area) is totally horrible: 4 - 5 normal (non elite) lvl 35 mobs can kill a lvl 45+ player in 1 - 2hits because they all aggro & hit you in the same time (plus blocking the exit and so on). So I'd say most of the instances already added to the game need more than balancing...

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Originally posted by Netspook
I don't know what the heck you've been smoking, but it surely ain't good for you.

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If you've reached the lvl cap and still think RoM provides a friendly environment for the solo player, then yes, you're dumb (not you, Netspook, as I was talking in general). Most quests can be solved alone, but instances and bosses are a total no no - and that's where the goodies come from. So even if you don't like it, you will be forced at some point to group, raid and fight for a good drop. My point was that even if you'd spend hundreds of $ in the Cash Shop you still won't be able to build a good set because those pieces of gear come from places & bosses that require a full & well coordonated party (if not a full raid), it's impossible to get 'em otherwise. So the whole "you have to spend a lot of cash to be competitive" is not quite accurate, since you can be a big spender and still suck. First you'll have to learn how to play the game, get all the available info on transmuting, rune combining, etc and then make friends to go into instances and stuff. Having lots of diamonds available won't grant you instant success, you still need to get the required "mats": items with good stats to transmute and of corse the gear to add stats to.

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Originally posted by Tyrrhon
Having free diamonds and free resetes is nice, dragulaa. Those were for beta players. And more generous for system abusers. Way to go. The CS stuff in bags is nice gift but totall failure as promotion material.

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Actually they handled the last free TP resets just after the game was launched, so all the players that joined in before or during March the 19th got them (the very last one was sent a few days ago). I haven't used any of those yet because I don't need to. I'm still waiting to see what is going to change and I'll use the stones only when my toon will become totally unplayable (for the record: I'm W/P).
I agree, the CS items from the gift bags are a total failure as promotional material, but only for Frogster, because ppl will have the chance to see how totally unecessary most of them are :) But for the players it's a great oportunity to sample CS content before actually paying for it ;)

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Originally posted by Netspook
Sending back feedback they gathered isn't the same as "has to ask Runewalker to do the actual work on the the game everytime they want to change something.". That's two VERY different things. First one is neutral, second is trying to influence development.

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To me it's exactly the same thing, because even when they want to change something, they can't do it themselves, they have to contact Runewalker and say: "we want this and that changed"; HOWEVER, how exactly would Runewalker do it it's their bussiness and if by doing so they affect other functions of the game, they bear the responsability, since Frogster doesn't have direct access to the game code. It's like when you order a certain custom product from a manufacturer: you specify certain options that you want, but how the manufacturer manages to finish the product and deliver it to your it's his problem and responsability. You don't get access to the factory & the production line, you don't work on the product yourself, you're just getting the finished product - hopefuly - as specified. Now if that product has some hidden issues, you won't be able to detect them on the spot, so it might take a while. That's what pretty much happens each time a big patch is implemented: some issues are solved and other bigger problems surface.

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There's not a single MMO out there where ppl aren't leaving on a daily basis.

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Ppl don't seem to understand 1 thing: RoM is a PvE team focused game. You might complain all day about how OPed are the CS users because of their uber gears, but even if you'd be given for free hundreds of diamonds you still wouldn't be able to create the same type of gear yourself - wanna know why? CAUSE YOU WOULDN'T BE HAVING THE GEAR TO UPGRADE if you're a selfish dumb egocentric lonewolf, that's why. It is IMPOSSIBLE for a solo player to get all the cyclop set, for example, without the help of a good guild & a good team. So really, the best thing you can do 1st is joining a powerful & helpful guild. RoM's community is pretty tight and many players are willing to help - especially when it comes to their guildies. You might not be mopping the floor with the Kalin Shrine bosses anytime soon, but your friends and guildies might help you build a decent set of gear out of a few (lucky) drops.

My problem with the new mounts it's different that most ppl might think: it's not that they look cooler than the older ones, but that these new mounts are not actually worth the money :) Ppl that bought perma horses invested their money far better :) Why? First, all new mounts have the same speed as the horses, so there's no real need for them apart from the looks. Second: tigers might look cool, but they move in a very akward & disturbing manner - more similar to a leaping frog than a real tiger; the berhu mount is considerably smaller than the 7 day gift bag version, and due to it it looks toyish. The ostrich type mounts look like you're choking them while riding. So unless you're bound on showing ppl you're a CS user, I see no real need for the new mounts. I will buy a perma mount soon and it won't be any of the new ones, it'll be a black battlehorse ;).

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Originally posted by caelach
They really did the beta testers wrong in many ways.

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O rly? Would you care to elaborate on it? 'Cause I play RoM since the 1st day of CB and I don't feel betrayed in any way, in spite of all te big changes the game went through. The job of CB testers is to test whatever game content is given - period. However, most of the so called "CB testers" were actually talking more about possible rewards fo their "work" than about the game bugs during CB. So how did the CB testers got screwed? "Cause they "agreed" to play RoM during CB in order to get info ahead of others and gain the upper hand and instead when the OB started they were on the same foot as the newcomers due to the changes operated to the game? Tztztz....And since we're at it, I don't remember your name being among the active CB testers' anyway...

When you buy a car, do you go back after a few months asking the dealer to give you a new & better one for free? :) That's how things work: you buy something, you pay for it, you're stuck with it. Now I won't go into all that "you should have thought twice before spending real money in the CS of a beta game", but seriously, nobody forced you into, you could have waited a bit longer and see what there will be available after the release. HOWEVER, there are currently daily CS discounts so even now ppl might buy something for a price while others would be able later on to get the same stuff for less money. And tbh, the new mounts are not worth the money: the ostrich looks weird and all the riders look like they're chocking the poor bird, the tigers are not well proportioned and they run in a very weird manner (they look like a limpy frog with a broom stuck in its ass), and the berhu is smaller than the 7 days gift bag version. IMO the better looking mount is still the battlehorse and any horse mount looks nicer than the new circus collection.

No, there are no super gear sets or weapons that you can buy from the Cash Shop. The only things that can have an impact on how good your gear would become are the purified stones, which are used to add stats to your gear; the main difference between these and the ones sold in NPC shops is that the purified stones are clean, they have no preset stats (as opposed to the crappy ones normal fusion stones have), so you can add whatever stats work for you.

But let me elaborate a little on what this dude forgot to say: when you join the game, you receive a gift bag. As you level up, you will get a lot of goodies from it. Now, apart from the usual Xp/HP/mana pots & some low lvl gear, you will also get a wide range of FREE Cash Shop items: 4 purified stones, lots of golden hammers (around 16 in total if I'm not mistaking), armor & weapon drillers, recall runes & marking ink for teleporting, "home sweet home" runes for insta teleport to your personal house, a TP reset stone at lvl 30 (that will reset all the skills of 1 class), upgrading jewels, and timed mounts (ranging from 24H to 7 days). So you get a chance to sample most of the Cash Shop content without needing to spend your money - all you have to do is save these items for later on (not to mention Frogster sent to all players 50 free diamonds just before release and also 2 TP reset runes after the release so ppl would be able to fully reskill if needed and buy more stuff from CS).

But maybe the most important aspects of the Cash shop are:
1. some of the CS items can also be bought with tokens (rewards that you get for completing daily quests); yes, the ammount of tokens needed to buy something is significant, but then again, it doesn't cost you money, just time.
2. now you can also buy diamonds (the currency you will need to buy from CS) with gold, through the game's Auction House. So even if you don't use your real money, you can still have access to CS content. All you have to do is play smart, sell every valuable item you can find and exchange the gold for diamonds.

So all in all, I'd say Frogster managed to run a pretty balanced & fair Cash Shop as opposed to what you may find in other F2P + CS MMOs. Yes, if you want to be on top of the game you need CS items, but like I've said, these can be obtained without actually spending your real cash. Yes, the CS users might gain the upper hand and the high lvl instances are easier for them, but then again, in a game in which you get xp mostly from quests and leveling is fast, the only difference can be felt when fighting bosses? I mean the uber gear really helps when you face them (which can't be solo defeated anyway), but all the players are consistently & constantly rewarded for completing quests and the q items are good enough to help you lvl up even if you're not geared like a war machine. Some players will manage to kill a certain boss with a small party while the rest would need to group in a full raid, but in the end we'll all get there.