I can agree with all the points you made. Personally, after playing the game for about 2 hours, I'm not particularly impressed. It seems like the same music loops over and over again. The sound effects get dull and/or annoying after a while, especially when you're listening to every character around you shouting and using all those cliche sound effects. The game certainly doesn't take itself seriously (which can be a good or bad thing). You'll see how that manifests itself by reading the quest dialogue (which I found humorous at first, then I started to skip because there is a lot of text) and the general apparel of the characters and NPCs. I think this game goes way over the deep end with sexualizing most, if not all of the female characters, but it is what it is. 

If I had to rate the game, I'd give it something like a... 6.5 or 7. I'm not gonna say it's the worst game out there, but it's certainly far from the best. It's pretty standard as far as MMO's go, but with an extra dose of cleavage.  I hear it's more about the PvP action instead of PvE, so that rating could change. But whether or not I actually want to play up to that point remains to be seen. 

Edit: I forgot to mention that this game is very, very linear thus far. It has an autorun feature which you can abuse... I mean "utilize" to run you directly to your quest objective. I feel... indifferent about it. It's nice being able to get your quests done quickly, but at the same time you're pretty much just steam-rolling through the content. There's little to no immersion to be had in this game from what I've experienced.

Well, I made a new character and tested out the inn and stat gains. I used the 3000 gold inn on my new character each time he leveled up. I compared my first character's stats (who used the free inn option) with the new one, both of them being level 8 and the same class. After comparing the stats, there was no difference in the HP/MP levels and barely a difference with the stats. In the end the stats both equaled to the same amount when they were added up. I don't know if it'll be different when the game goes into open beta, but as far as I can tell, the inn doesn't have any significant effect on your character's stats. 

This is of course my own experience, if someone has a different outcome, I'd be interested in reading about it. 

Well, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling with a fresh download. It didn't seem to solve the problem. 

I guess I'll have to submit it as a bug and see what happens. 

I installed TSW yesterday with no problems. However when I click to play on the launcher it automatically crashes and gives me an error message. 

"Assertion Failure

c:\dev-env\build\branch_tsw_v1.0\code\enginecode\corelibr aries\corerendering\gui\DXUTStripped.cpp (3338)

DeviceReset callback - 0x80004005"

I tried looking on google and the forums with no luck finding an answer. Does anybody have any idea what this error means? Or possibly a way to fix it?

I'd definitely appreciate it if someone could spare an extra buddy key. I haven't had the chance to play the betas but I'm now intrigued about this game. I'd like to see how the gameplay is before purchasing it.

My email is:  ffxivarlas@gmail.com

Thank you in advance whoever can send me a spare key.

Interesting, I may look into trying it out once more. Thanks for all the information Dfix. Maybe this time I'll actually be able to play. 

Really? Did they do away with the 3D secure? And when?

If this is the case, I might look into playing once more. The mandatory 3D secure was what drove me away from playing again. But that would be wonderful if that's no longer a requirement.

(And I do live in the US by the way.)

I have to agree with most (if not all) of OP's statements. I used to play FFXI about 8 years ago and I'm having an increasing interest in playing again. However I've been having a lot of frustration similar to what the OP has described and have had to call it quits. I understand it's an older game, but I think they could at least simplify the starting steps by now. 

The PlayOnline client can simply be a nightmare. I remember how it took me roughly two hours just to get started with the PlayOnline registration. I don't recall all the exact details but I certainly wasn't  in a good mood afterwards. All of the different accounts and passwords you have to keep track of is a huge nuisance for my tastes. 

Now the billing system, it is simply the bane of my existance. Now it asks for this 3D Secure garbage that I never had to deal with when I played years ago. As Fry from Futurama would put it, I wish they would just shut up and take my money. I mean honestly, there has to be a better way to have a secure billing system than the one they currently use. I simply cannot play and enjoy FFXI because I have no cards that are so-called 3D secure. 

I really do want to enjoy FFXI as much as I used to, but there are so many barriers and hindrances that are being employed that it makes it just about impossible for me to get through. And I imagine it's even worse for people who have never played before. It leaves a very negative impression on what is otherwise a good game. 

I don't want to deal with a convoluted, complicated and unnecessary billing "feature" just to pay for an MMO. What's wrong with using the billing systems other MMOs use, like Rift or LOTRO? 

/rantmodeoff

While it might be amusing to think about, in the end it just wouldn't be practical. Mages don't have the mitigation needed to tank efficiently. The other classes have tank specs while mages do not. You're a squishy dps/support class with survival cooldowns.

If you wanna try it for fun, then by all means. But I wouldn't get your hopes up if you wanna use it for "serious" content (IE raiding).

Hello, 

I'm currently on the Wolfsbane shard (featuring one of the highest populations) and I'm looking to help out newer players interested in trying out Rift. I have 3 level 50 characters, one being a Guardian Rogue, and the other two being Defiant Mage and Cleric. I would be happy to help out newer players, or perhaps past veterans looking to try out the game once more. I can offer help and advice regarding gameplay, Soul Builds, crafting, and much more!

http://www.riftgame.com/en/products/ascend-a-friend/invite.php?voucher=YLJCH3HZJKGKW9939JP2&utm_source=manual&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ascend_invite

With this link, you can enjoy Rift's gameplay for up to 7 days and level up to 20. You can take part in dungeons and PVP warfronts and begin to see what this game has to offer. If you happen to really like the game and wish to play further, you can receive extra gifts as a bonus for subscribing! 

If you would like to get started playing Rift, feel free to message me on here with any questions you may have, or if you wish to meet up in-game, we can try to set up an appropriate time and day to do so. 

Hope to see you in-game!

I don't know what's more sad; the fact that there's going to be a Family Guy MMO, or that I'm bored enough to bother trying it out. 

Congratulations Varlas on winning a digital download key for Age of Conan!

Your beta key is: YDSBYXJD4VRCTQQJ

How use this key to get in the game:

Download game here http://l3cdn.ageofconan.com/download/AoC/small/US/data-en.exe

While patcher is running click "Account" button at bottom left of patcher window. At that web page enter your code in the "New Customer" section and click "Register"

Once you have fully downloaded/patched the game (about 6.5GB) and created your account with your code you should be able to login to the game and play free for 30 days!

Since I'm not going to use it, I figure someone else would appreciate using it. To whoever gets this first, hope you have fun. :)

D873A687-8B6D-4A47-96D3-83A32D0862D4
 

Hurry before it gets used.

I got an extra one by luck, but I'm not gonna use it. If anyone wants to play this game but doesn't have a key, now's your chance.

CB5BE844D70F5A4399

Hurry before it's used up. :)