I'm not a pvp fan, but i think i'm going to pick this game up.

As for being "grindy" I havent noticed a grind that is worth mentioning. There are certain levels that are harder then others but its only because quests are more complicated, either because the mobs are harder or it requires a group. If they make the leveling any easier I believe there will be no challenge to it. Yes, western gamers are more casual gamers as a whole, but at times you have to work for what you want.

From 1-20 I haven't noticed any grind. There are always quests available as you level up.

I think Aion has the potential to be an MMO force to be reckoned with. It's not going to be perfect when it launches (no title ever is) but it is going to have enough going for it to make people want to at least try it.

My only real complaint is that there are a few too many invisible walls where there shouldn't (imo) be any. That can make the world seem more restrictive (smaller) than it really is, and it serves to discourage random exploration. That (again, imo) is a shame, since the world itself is gorgeous, and just begs to be discovered.

I'm looking forward to release. The dev team has done an awesome job with localization so far, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun when the first rush of gamers all reach the Abyss for their first PvPvE experience.

Peace. :)

TBH I wanted to like this but when I tried it it just wasn't that fun.  Painfully linear with no real storyline whatsoever.  Quests are boring and repetitive at best.  Runes of Magic is a better game, frankly, and it's free to play.

Having leveled from 1-20 in a day myself, I seriously don't see "The Grind" as people have speculated. Only WoW with it's x3 Buddy XP goes any quicker and thats only to level 60 of 80. Sure, theres more of a grind after level 20 in Aion, but that actually is a good thing. Getting to 20 should be easy so as to make you feel like your achieving massive goals. While after 20, it slows down to let you master your character for PvP.

Anyhow, I don't see much of a problem with Aion at the moment. It's solid, beautiful and immersive with PvP and PvE for both enthusiasts.

---

Originally posted by Taram
TBH I wanted to like this but when I tried it it just wasn't that fun.  Painfully linear with no real storyline whatsoever.  Quests are boring and repetitive at best.  Runes of Magic is a better game, frankly, and it's free to play.
 

---

Completely Agree. ^^^

Originally posted by Taram

TBH I wanted to like this but when I tried it it just wasn't that fun.  Painfully linear with no real storyline whatsoever.  Quests are boring and repetitive at best.  Runes of Magic is a better game, frankly, and it's free to play.

 

I respect your opinion, and admire the courage it took to express it in a public forum.

I've played both games, also. There is no comparison between the two, in my opinion.

Peace. :)

 What's pretty interesting in Aion is the fact that the ramification of the storyline is completely different from other games: instead of giving you in 10 different starting areas, but then at higher levels providing you only with one place to level/quest, it makes the inverse - you start with only one starting area, and then it branches out between many areas with areas for a similar level, be it in the Abyss or not.

Thanks for making the end game interesting and not the new character experience confusing.

This Q&A lacked a question regarding botting/RMT/hacking, which is a very serious worry that players have, including me, regarding the game experience.

Originally posted by EricDanie

This Q&A lacked a question regarding botting/RMT/hacking, which is a very serious worry that players have, including me, regarding the game experience.

QFE

I'm hitting a slow spot on the Elyos side at 18-19. Most of the quests I have left are all involving 4 dot Tursin's and I can't kill a level 16 4-dot at 19 as a sorcerer atm. And trying to get a group for them seems rather hard when most people don't respond or don't speak the same language (hey Dana, another reason why regional servers are good...).

I pre-ordered and have played for several of the beta weekends and I am pleased to say that I am enjoying the game quite a bit so far. It is very similar to other MMOs, but it seems very polished and I found the art style of the world to be very immersive. I also found the combat system to be more enjoyable than other recent titles I have played.

I can't wait to play the actual game and experience the higher-level PvPvE content.

First off Runes of magic is not better than Aion lmao, second keep in mind that this beta event is still using client 1.0 that was released a year ago and there is a 1.5 patch that adds more fixes and quest to help eliminate the so called grind. OVer all its a great game so far

This was a lame interview.

Why didn't you ask them some controversial questions so we can learn about the game. Everyone already knows what you asked, we don't need to hear it fluffed up again.

You should have asked about the botting/rmting/hacking, what's the deal with gameguard (gameguard is causing an extreme amount of errors that NCSoft doesn't give an answer how to fix), etc.

Jesus, why not just ask him "Do you like your own game?" because when it's boiled down that's what you asked over and over.

Meh, another theme park where your progression runs on rails in a very narrow world.  The scenery is gorgeous until you realize that you can't actually go to a lot of those places that you can see. Nothing for explorers here.

Replayability is minimal since every character you create is going to take the same dull ride as the one before. In fact, both factions have essentially  the same quests with the only differences being names and the mobs involved. It's soloable until about level 18 when forced grouping hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. From that point, you can either group or grind the same boring mobs over and over.

However, you  can make some very pretty characters. Still, if you love shallow PvP and forced grouping, you might be happy here, that is, if you can find enough like-mindeds to play with six months after release.

Thanks for the effort, but the interview indeed is a bit superficial. The Aion team just gave their marketing speech.

I have pre-ordered, but do not expect miracles on the PvE front this game. The PvPvE concept is what sounds interesting to me.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Meh, another theme park where your progression runs on rails in a very narrow world.  The scenery is gorgeous until you realize that you can't actually go to a lot of those places that you can see. Nothing for explorers here.

Replayability is minimal since every character you create is going to take the same dull ride as the one before. In fact, both factions have essentially  the same quests with the only differences being names and the mobs involved. It's soloable until about level 18 when forced grouping hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. From that point, you can either group or grind the same boring mobs over and over.

However, you  can make some very pretty characters. Still, if you love shallow PvP and forced grouping, you might be happy here, that is, if you can find enough like-mindeds to play with six months after release.

 I don't understand it, if you don't want groups and want to play alone doing quests, then why not just play a single player game. Also about the shallow PvP, which game today has better PvP to offer? In my opinion, this game has huge potential, alright it might have some invisible walls but for it just being 1.0 beta it sure delivered.

I didn't see any grinding problems when going from 1-19 in 18 hours just from quests. Plus since I had friends that were playing with me, group quests where no problem but I am sure when the game comes out, more people will play it thus solving this problem.

Originally posted by Taram

TBH I wanted to like this but when I tried it it just wasn't that fun.  Painfully linear with no real storyline whatsoever.  Quests are boring and repetitive at best.  Runes of Magic is a better game, frankly, and it's free to play.

 

I think you have played some different Runes of magic than the rest of the people....
You say that aion quests are repetitive and boring and then say runes of magic is better? I want a taste of the drugs your smoking! :D

Originally posted by arrius2410

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Meh, another theme park where your progression runs on rails in a very narrow world.  The scenery is gorgeous until you realize that you can't actually go to a lot of those places that you can see. Nothing for explorers here.

Replayability is minimal since every character you create is going to take the same dull ride as the one before. In fact, both factions have essentially  the same quests with the only differences being names and the mobs involved. It's soloable until about level 18 when forced grouping hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. From that point, you can either group or grind the same boring mobs over and over.

However, you  can make some very pretty characters. Still, if you love shallow PvP and forced grouping, you might be happy here, that is, if you can find enough like-mindeds to play with six months after release.

 I don't understand it, if you don't want groups and want to play alone doing quests, then why not just play a single player game. Also about the shallow PvP, which game today has better PvP to offer? In my opinion, this game has huge potential, alright it might have some invisible walls but for it just being 1.0 beta it sure delivered.

I didn't see any grinding problems when going from 1-19 in 18 hours just from quests. Plus since I had friends that were playing with me, group quests where no problem but I am sure when the game comes out, more people will play it thus solving this problem.

 

Gods, not that old saw again! The reasons why people may enjoy playing these games without grouping or PvP have been stated over and over in numerous forum posts on countless websites, yet some of you just can't factor it into your myopic view of how things should be.

I've also been around the block a few times and have heard the "it's beta" garbage until I'm ill. Beginning with my first beta, which was Horizons, people like you have been pointing to some unseen patch that will make everything better after release. These fixes never seem to materialize and the game you're playing on the last day of beta is essentially the same thing you'll play at release. So, if you're happy, then you'll be okay. But don't try to convince the undecided that there's some miracle patch around the corner. It's never happened.

Originally posted by eric_w66

I'm hitting a slow spot on the Elyos side at 18-19. Most of the quests I have left are all involving 4 dot Tursin's and I can't kill a level 16 4-dot at 19 as a sorcerer atm. And trying to get a group for them seems rather hard when most people don't respond or don't speak the same language (hey Dana, another reason why regional servers are good...).

you just need to get in a group to do those quests, and if you're 19 you're high enough lvl to do the quests in the next zone. and i play on the chinese servers and i had no problem getting groups, 1/2 the time i was grouping with people that spoke chinese. we didn't know what each other was saying but just linked the quests we was on and went from there.

and more than likely you missed some of the quests from out in the world from npcs out in the zones. frillneck area has a bunch of npcs in small camps of 2 or 3 that had a bunch of quests for me.but if you did find all those, then like i said the next zone is around 20+ you can go there an the other zone is around 23+

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by arrius2410

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Meh, another theme park where your progression runs on rails in a very narrow world.  The scenery is gorgeous until you realize that you can't actually go to a lot of those places that you can see. Nothing for explorers here.

Replayability is minimal since every character you create is going to take the same dull ride as the one before. In fact, both factions have essentially  the same quests with the only differences being names and the mobs involved. It's soloable until about level 18 when forced grouping hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. From that point, you can either group or grind the same boring mobs over and over.

However, you  can make some very pretty characters. Still, if you love shallow PvP and forced grouping, you might be happy here, that is, if you can find enough like-mindeds to play with six months after release.

 I don't understand it, if you don't want groups and want to play alone doing quests, then why not just play a single player game. Also about the shallow PvP, which game today has better PvP to offer? In my opinion, this game has huge potential, alright it might have some invisible walls but for it just being 1.0 beta it sure delivered.

I didn't see any grinding problems when going from 1-19 in 18 hours just from quests. Plus since I had friends that were playing with me, group quests where no problem but I am sure when the game comes out, more people will play it thus solving this problem.

 

 

Gods, not that old saw again! The reasons why people may enjoy playing these games without grouping or PvP have been stated over and over in numerous forum posts on countless websites, yet some of you just can't factor it into your myopic view of how things should be.

I've also been around the block a few times and have heard the "it's beta" garbage until I'm ill. Beginning with my first beta, which was Horizons, people like you have been pointing to some unseen patch that will make everything better after release. These fixes never seem to materialize and the game you're playing on the last day of beta is essentially the same thing you'll play at release. So, if you're happy, then you'll be okay. But don't try to convince the undecided that there's some miracle patch around the corner. It's never happened.

Shallow PvP? You have just completely discredited yourself. No one will take your post seriously now because your intentions or far too obvious.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by arrius2410

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Meh, another theme park where your progression runs on rails in a very narrow world.  The scenery is gorgeous until you realize that you can't actually go to a lot of those places that you can see. Nothing for explorers here.

Replayability is minimal since every character you create is going to take the same dull ride as the one before. In fact, both factions have essentially  the same quests with the only differences being names and the mobs involved. It's soloable until about level 18 when forced grouping hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. From that point, you can either group or grind the same boring mobs over and over.

However, you  can make some very pretty characters. Still, if you love shallow PvP and forced grouping, you might be happy here, that is, if you can find enough like-mindeds to play with six months after release.

 I don't understand it, if you don't want groups and want to play alone doing quests, then why not just play a single player game. Also about the shallow PvP, which game today has better PvP to offer? In my opinion, this game has huge potential, alright it might have some invisible walls but for it just being 1.0 beta it sure delivered.

I didn't see any grinding problems when going from 1-19 in 18 hours just from quests. Plus since I had friends that were playing with me, group quests where no problem but I am sure when the game comes out, more people will play it thus solving this problem.

 

 

Gods, not that old saw again! The reasons why people may enjoy playing these games without grouping or PvP have been stated over and over in numerous forum posts on countless websites, yet some of you just can't factor it into your myopic view of how things should be.

I've also been around the block a few times and have heard the "it's beta" garbage until I'm ill. Beginning with my first beta, which was Horizons, people like you have been pointing to some unseen patch that will make everything better after release. These fixes never seem to materialize and the game you're playing on the last day of beta is essentially the same thing you'll play at release. So, if you're happy, then you'll be okay. But don't try to convince the undecided that there's some miracle patch around the corner. It's never happened.

May be if you have taken some time and search Aion Source you would have seen that the patch exists.

www.aionsource.com/forum/news-announcements/21606-new-heroic-weapons-version-1-5-pics-included.html

The biggest question I have about this game is if there is anything to do once I get to the level cap?  Will this game be a one monther? Or does it have the longevity to keep a player interested for the longterm with end game content or something like that.  Which is the whole point of having a subscription game ya?

Originally posted by natuxatu

 

Shallow PvP? You have just completely discredited yourself. No one will take your post seriously now because your intentions or far too obvious.

Shallow. As in, "everything that doesn't look like me equals enemy".  If you're not in a group, you're gank fodder. To me, that's shallow. Your mileage may vary. I'm not sure what intentions are "obvious" to you and I don't really care. You don't know me, nor do you know my intentions, if I really had any other than to offer my perspective after a couple of weekend events.

Have a nice day.

Originally posted by Ngeldu5t

May be if you have taken some time and search Aion Source you would have seen that the patch exists.

www.aionsource.com/forum/news-announcements/21606-new-heroic-weapons-version-1-5-pics-included.html

Whee! More shinies, pretty much like the rest of the game! Yeah, I've read about the patch. What about it makes you think that it will address the linear nature of the gameplay and offer anything other than "more of the same" that we have already seen? As I said, if you're happy with the game in its current state, you'll be happy at release. But don't try to convince others with a different viewpoint that somehow this patch will make the game more palatable to those of us who are unimpressed.

I wanted to like this game, but it's just more of the same in a very pretty wrapper.

Johm you can come up with better questions, like  " how will Aion be different from lineage 2's over bot populated gold selling scheme ?"

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by natuxatu

 

Shallow PvP? You have just completely discredited yourself. No one will take your post seriously now because your intentions or far too obvious.

 

Shallow. As in, "everything that doesn't look like me equals enemy".  If you're not in a group, you're gank fodder. To me, that's shallow. Your mileage may vary. I'm not sure what intentions are "obvious" to you and I don't really care. You don't know me, nor do you know my intentions, if I really had any other than to offer my perspective after a couple of weekend events.

Have a nice day.

First of all, I don't know why you mention that you've been around the block because it seems that you haven't or else you would know how good this game for a beta is. I come from Warhammer online and let me tell you that any game that offers keep takes or large scale pvp without lag is AMAZING. Seconds, if you've been around the block, you would know that pretty much any pvp game will have ganking, its gank or be ganked unless there are scenarios and even in them, difference in levels results in slaughter. So I don't know what your talking about equal enemy.

I have played the game, as well and there is no real grind, people are going to stereotype it because of who the developer is and what region it was primarily developed in. The game is very comparable to western MMO's such as LOTRO, and WoW in terms of quests and progression. It is a gorgeous game, and a fun one at that.

So tired of WOW i hope this game would keep me entertained for a while.  No game ever launch since WOW ever hold my interest for more than a 2-3 months.

"GRIND" ok no you have not had it at all. Because you never hit 28-30+ Thats when it kicks in. There is SO much that has not been talked about. Ask about DEATH. Ask about the cost of 5+ deaths.  In some MMO's you dont have a rift that opens up and you get jumped by the other side "PVP". You cant run from it.. you cant just TURN OFF PVP.. lol so you stand there and just die EVERYTIME or you fight back.. jump through and go at it!

Two sides.. and BOTH are so much the same its unreal. You will ALWAYS have only ONE starting area so if you love to play more than one TOON its going to get very boring fast.

The maps are very small. You can never get lost. You just follow the road and it will ALWAYS take you to where you need to go.

AH, broker.. you will NOT find tons of different armor , weapons for each level.. you will be lucky if theres just two.

They dont tell you... QUESTS.. you need to kill this and that.. so does everyone else.. BUT.. both of you can attack the same target and who ever does the MOST DAMAGE gets the kill .. xp and loot. There is NO KILL STEALING.. this is the way the game is. So dont get upset if someone comes along and takes your kill.. thats part of the game and has not.. will not change.. lol they dont talk about that..

Find where people have PLAYED the kor, china all the way up and see what they say. The game is alot different after level 20. You cant just SOLO your way .. they leave out so much. And unless you grind here and there you will run out of quests at times. But thats like some mmos.

Its not a HARDCORE MMO.. its not harder than WOW.. is basicly a PVP game.

ive experienced some grind and ive noticed if you dont kill plenty you will start to struggle for quest xp, its not bothered me too much becouse we are playing a older version and the 1.5 is filled out a bit more.

But Baggs(a few posts up) makes some very good points, and id like to see a european dedicated team instead of playing second fiddle to korea and following there route, it would be great to see the western version be more a-tuned to western players.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by natuxatu

 

Shallow PvP? You have just completely discredited yourself. No one will take your post seriously now because your intentions or far too obvious.

Shallow. As in, "everything that doesn't look like me equals enemy".  If you're not in a group, you're gank fodder. To me, that's shallow. Your mileage may vary. I'm not sure what intentions are "obvious" to you and I don't really care. You don't know me, nor do you know my intentions, if I really had any other than to offer my perspective after a couple of weekend events.

Have a nice day.

Funny, I consider the PvP and PvPvE concepts in this game to have been thought out very well. You actually have dynamic open world PvP resources to fight for and you call that shallow?

This is game is really for causal players.... People complaint no quests left to do??  I just don't get it.  At level 31 in 1.1 version, I have to give up so many quests because I out leveled the quests or can't find peopel to do it due to different time zone (US vs China time), so still have no idea how they don't have enough quests to do... maybe because they died too many times all the xp they gain from quests turn into 0.  Even with cure soul, you still loss a little bit xp unless you reach a new level.  Some of the quests are hidden, I finsh a quest somewhere else then open up more quests in a different zone.  It's all about explore and check NPC to find quests yourself.  It's not like some MMO has a HUGE sign point at NPC "Click me!  click me"

If peopel compare Rune of magic or Perfect world to Aion, please don't waste your time.  I tried both games, both are ok, but there is no comparesion to Aion.  If you like Rune of Magic, you should go to play FFXI or even WoW, because FFXI is 100 times better then Rune of Magic and WOW is about 50 times better then it.  Perfect world is (IMO) just a joke.

Again, Aion is not perfect, there are something I hate about it, too.  Other then FFXIV, Aion is my next choice of game before FFXIV.

I have played in the last 2 betas and have my game preordered.  I come from the EQ1 Grinding days, and the easy mode WoW days. I have gotten to the Cap at 25 this weekend.

IMO the quests dont give enough exp to even bother doing them.  I consider myself a hardcore gamer, by that i mean i can sit and play for well over 6+ hours at a time.  The first 10 levels were cake, quests were easy and it basicly taught you the game.  From 10 on it was a bit different.  My friends and I just thought about the time we spent running around clicking rocks or picking herbs, killing mobs in some remote location all to give you a reward of 18k exp......  When you  get 2-4k a KILL.

Why in the hell would i trek 20mins back and forth for 18k EXP!?!?  I can get that in 4 kills that takes 2 minutes.  What they NEED to do is BOOST the exp per quest turn in.  The ONLY quests that give good exp are the main storyline quests.   All of the side quests are almost completely worthless.

Im not calling this game grinding at all, Im just saying that if you were to level 1-25 purely questing vs 1-25 straight grind.  The person that GRINDS will blow away the quester.

This IMO is the biggest issue i have with AION at the moment, and even so its not a big one b/c i dont mind killing the same spiders for 10 hours straight.

Oh and i forgot to mention many of the quests from about 15+ are repeatable quests. And you guessed it, give crap exp.  BOOST EXP FOR QUESTS PLEASE

Grind has almost nothing to do with quests.  Unless the mobs/world is interesting or different enough from the last one (i.e no boars that we can see in just about every other zone) then only an absolutely awesome storyline (Lotro) will reduce the grind.  Making better stories for quests does not stop the grind, it's interesting use of ingame mechanics and interesting fights.

anyway the game sounds pretty good so far, though the world does not seem all that appealing to me.  Still i shall await the player reviews in November before jumping into this one.

if your not into PVP dont bother.   While the PVE aspect of this game is good and the character models are wonderful, as soon as you hit 25 you will be subjected to PVP whether you like it or not.   Its sad too cause its a really beautiful game.

Originally posted by dkzero

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Meh, another theme park where your progression runs on rails in a very narrow world.  The scenery is gorgeous until you realize that you can't actually go to a lot of those places that you can see. Nothing for explorers here.

Replayability is minimal since every character you create is going to take the same dull ride as the one before. In fact, both factions have essentially  the same quests with the only differences being names and the mobs involved. It's soloable until about level 18 when forced grouping hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. From that point, you can either group or grind the same boring mobs over and over.

However, you  can make some very pretty characters. Still, if you love shallow PvP and forced grouping, you might be happy here, that is, if you can find enough like-mindeds to play with six months after release.

 

Wow, every post you make is dripping with so much douchebaggery it makes me sick.  You don't like grouping? Go play a single player game.  You don't like getting ganked?  Go play a single player game.  You have to come up with ridiculous arguments as to why you want to play a massively MULTIPLAYER game by yourself? Go play a single player game.  You want to be an explorer?  Go to a state park and walk around in the woods.

Single-player game? Now, why didn't I think of that? Oooh, he pulled out the D-Word, sort of. What are you, twelve? If you're sociopathic attitude extends into your gaming, you're a poster child for why a lot of people hate grouping and PvP. I'm sure you know allll the ways to play the game right.
 

I gunna play Dragon Age when it comes out. That okay with you, sport?

Originally posted by eric_w66

I'm hitting a slow spot on the Elyos side at 18-19. Most of the quests I have left are all involving 4 dot Tursin's and I can't kill a level 16 4-dot at 19 as a sorcerer atm. And trying to get a group for them seems rather hard when most people don't respond or don't speak the same language (hey Dana, another reason why regional servers are good...).

Yeah but for the love of god dont put us english(UK) with the french or rest of the EU.......

Why can't people just respect each others opinions and move on? There doesn't need to be a flame war everytime someone says they dislike the game. If they dislike it and don't play it, how does this affect anyone that is going to play it, other than having one less player to play with / fight against? We get it, you love Aion and want to see it succeed. So go out and advertise the game to different media sources instead of trying to persuade someone who has already made their decision?

Personally I found the game pretty fun. After getting out of the Elyos' starting zones (Poeta and Verteron) I was pretty impressed on how big Eltnen was, and later that night my legion decided to go exploring further into Eltnen just to see what the game looked like. There were so many cool touches and unique looking monsters that are waiting in the 25-50 range. If you're interested in seeing the videos (dont mind the quality our camera man is new to it I assume), go on You Tube and search for Remnant Legion. We got most of our exploring on file but eventually he couldn't record anymore.

I wish the questionaire would have had some better questions, but maybe another site will get a chance to ask some better questions.

See some of you guys in CB5!

Aion is a revolutionary game...

I alredy played LOTRO,WOW and ROM ....

1st - don't understand how ROM can be better than any of the games that i played and Aion

To be honest, ROM it's a good game but they want for you to pay (Like 1st time I played i saw a lvl 50 player with a realy nice mount, and he awnsered "i paid for it, oh but it's permanant !!!" [ LOL ], i was like every ppl saying that the game was awsome because it was free and then i saw that everithing cool to have in the game you have to pay for it, with real money ofc xD) I think he said that he paid like 15€  or 15$ don't know it rigth now...  so finaly what i want to mean is that instead of you paying 15€ per month to play a well developed MMO you finishing paying 15€ for having a permanent mount and maybe you will pay for another itens OH and ofc IF YOU WANT TO BUY SOMETHING GOOD YOU MUST BUY DIAMONDS ... thats why i stopped....

So i dont think that Aion can EVEN be compare to ROM and, Like i said Aion he's like WOW in 09 a new and modern MMO

Alredy pre-ordered deluxe vs

Originally posted by Baggs 

2. Why do they keep talking about that thing called PvPvE? They are intentionally misleading the fanbase.

There is such a feature ingame, but its PvEvP and trust me there's a huge difference.

PvPvE = proper PvP with the NPC faction interfering.  PvEvP = You are leveling / questing and you suddenly get jumped by a 6 man group.(if not more)

I kid you not, the Abyss is not for PvPing, its where mobs give the mobs exp per kill + rewards. Which makes it a leveling place.

The PVPVE They are refering to is the fact that the abyss' keeps are attacked by NPCs regularly. 

That and the fact that the entire story is about the conflict of the THREE Sides.

I think some of your complaints are entirely valid but this one just seems a little far out.

Originally posted by Nedax

Why can't people just respect each others opinions and move on? There doesn't need to be a flame war everytime someone says they dislike the game. If they dislike it and don't play it, how does this affect anyone that is going to play it, other than having one less player to play with / fight against? We get it, you love Aion and want to see it succeed. So go out and advertise the game to different media sources instead of trying to persuade someone who has already made their decision?

Simple, many times the dislike is motivated by fear of losing ones guild members from another MMO, or it's a case of  Guerilla marketing from the competition.  We have seen MMO suffer smear campaigns before, with forum members monitoring forums 24/7on this site to ridicule contradict or otherwise shoot down any positive remarks or press.

I for one am having a blast in Aion, it is going to be really tough for me to pick between Aion and Champions online as I only have time for one MMO. Aion is fun, and it's a breath of fresh air but it isn't for everyone...that doesn’t make it a failboat.

Originally posted by Baggs

Why do you avoid asking them real, proper questions?

Aren't they gonna sell AION for real money?

 

Here's a few for your next interview :

 

1.  Will the European and American playbase have any power over what needs to be "fixed", "nerfed", "tweaked" and so on?

Or is it like Lineage 2 where we got w/e update the Korean players wanted? (note : A year later from them as well)

 

2. Why do they keep talking about that thing called PvPvE? They are intentionally misleading the fanbase.

There is such a feature ingame, but its PvEvP and trust me there's a huge difference.

PvPvE = proper PvP with the NPC faction interfering.  PvEvP = You are leveling / questing and you suddenly get jumped by a 6 man group.(if not more)

I kid you not, the Abyss is not for PvPing, its where mobs give the mobs exp per kill + rewards. Which makes it a leveling place.

 

3. Will utterly stupid items like the potions which remove ALL your abnormal conditions (debuffs, slow, silence, etc...) be removed from the game? Or they will let them destroy the PvP experience like Blessed Scrolls of Escape did in Lineage 2.

 

4. Will Fortress Sieging stay as it is? I honestly don't see the point of defending a fortress when you'll get more Abyss Points and rewards if you just leave the other faction have it for a day. (Sieges happen every day if im not wrong)

It's already an issue in Korea and China.

Another question on sieges.

Where exactly is the fun part in capturing a fortress by killing a raid boss?

Where is the PvP part of Fortress sieging when nobody defends them?- because they have nothing to lose anyway, they will recapture them the next day and be rewarded for it as well....

 

 

Honestly i could go on and on and on and on with real questions that need real answers but i cannot be bothered.

I played a Spirit Master to level 36 on Chinese retail and i don't feel like i have accomplished something.

I reached the Abyss rank of Soldier rank 3 but that's mostly from mobs and enemy NPCs, not from killing people.

And that's not just me, its what everyone does. Its just faster and more convenient.

Mobs and NPCs will always give you the same amount of AP and they will always respawn, when a player will stop giving you points after you kill him a couple times.

 

Don't get me wrong here, i believe AION has the full potential of becoming a very successful MMORPG, even hit humongous numbers like World of Warcraft.

But. That won't happen if the game stays as it is. Lots of tweaking is requiered and people like me want to know beforehand if the company has the resources, the guts and the will to make these changes happen.

So far, even from official announcements they are not changing anything to the game but translating it to English, French and German.

The core mechanics are staying the same, they are only adding new items and zones which doesn't really change things.

It just recycles boredom and nothing more.

 

 

Thanks for reading my post, if you don't agree with me there's no need for flaming, just ignore me and move along.

Finally, an articulate mind on this board. You asked good questions and made good points that NO ONE has yet addressed. And this is very important; in life, I have come to take it, as a general rule of thumb, if someone makes a compelling argument that clearly reveals the filth of an object (in this case the poor quality of this game), then is ignored by the community that supports said object, there is truth to be found within that man's words.

Just by reading this forum I was turned off from AION. If its community is filled with people who actually ENJOY killing the same group of spiders for 10 hours, cannot express themselves intellectually, and have no reason behind why they like something then there is certainly no room in AION's game world for me.

I like games which require the players to think (chess, ??, MTG, some RTS games, puzzle games, etc). The only MMO that really offers this (that I am aware of) is Guild Wars (unless you count MTGOnline or other games that are like MTG). Guild Wars is a great game because of one very simple factor: the abundance of synergies amongst the skills. All of the skills are very synergistic in nature so it is fun and challenging to create builds for various situations (there are a ton of PvP and PvE options in the game). Because of this Guild Wars thrives on a very healthy and gorgeous meta game. It's nice to constantly see the meta game change every month or so; it really keeps the competition alive and prevents the game from getting repetitive (though if you lack competent players the game can get pretty stale if you aren't that big a fan of PvE). This one single factor pretty much indefinitely gives the players new content to work with (or until you've managed to formulate every build combination in the game).

But enough about Guild Wars. Many of you can probably infer by now that since I was a fan of Guild Wars I, naturally, had high hopes for this game; though I was aware of the garbage NCSoft could produce (L2, CoH/V); I did enjoy Dungeon Runners for a bit (which despite the fact that it was everything I hated in an MMO, it was able to keep me playing for a few weeks because of its undeniable charm by fusing humor into an online game; it did, however, get really old, really fast) and Exteel (however that is more of an FPS and a completely different subject). So because there were two games I really enjoyed and one that confirmed the fact that NCsoft could produce things outside of the ordinary I decided to give AION the benefit of the doubt.
When I found out that AION's combat system would be supporting a "combo" system, I thought it might be something like the assassin's combo system from GW and got prematurely excited. However, after reading a bit about it, I heard that the combat is pretty bland and takes little to no thought effort to string together combos (I guess you can hot key them to trigger from 1 command). Also from the videos I have watched the combat seems pretty sluggish.

The second point made by Baggs really disappointed me. I was hopping that PvPvE existed, but since it plays out like PvEvP, really, what is the difference between that and a PvP realm like in World of Warcraft (a game that I truly cannot fathom why it is liked by so many people)?

Baggs' 3rd point made me laugh. Adding in a potion that eliminates conditions is insanely stupid. Why would you add incentive to not play certain builds (degen builds and any healing build that prevents or focuses on preventing degen in this case)? Potions just helps lessen the amount of freedom one has for making good builds. It helps force everyone to play the same build (unless you are OK with playing a build that is mediocre and universally unaccepted by the community). Just look at WoW; there are quite a bit of skills in the game, however, there are only like a max of 4 [decent] builds per character (less really). You will find yourself playing the same build for pretty much the entirety of the game, leaving you with no ability to really mold yourself or evolve to different situations; and to make matters worse, in WoW you have to PAY every time you want to reset your talent tree; giving players an even greater incentive to not test out certain builds; this increases the incentive to look online and steal tried and true builds that other players have already figured out to be the best or use some calculators to figure out what builds are the best; however the game still suffer from an abundance of pointless skills/talents. I am not sure about AION and what kind of skill system it uses (I have just about lost all interest in this game so I rarely look stuff up about it anymore), but I wouldn't be surprised if it followed in the footsteps of other successful MMO's (like WoW) When the skill pool for a game is very small and the number of decent, usable skills is even smaller, it ensures cookie-cutter play style. Pretty much every game suffers from this, even games where the skill pool is rather big most devs have a problem with balancing skills and classes. However if you look at a game like chess, you can mimic play styles, but each opponent will react differently; it is very unlikely that a single chess match will be the same as a previous game. I would like to see an MMORPG that has this kind of variable; constantly having to evolve to match your opponents play style (this is very apparent in Fighting games and in FPS as well as RTS, but it could be accomplished as well in RPGs).

The quests in AION just seem so stupid: go kill mob X, go gather berry X, etc. Can't anyone create meaningful tasks? Why not have every quest actually FEEL like a QUEST. Quests are supposed to be long and epic. They aren't supposed to be over in a few minutes. You should feel like you accomplished something after you are done. It could be something as simple as, on your first visit into a new kingdom, the princess is kidnapped by some evil villain and it is up to you and your gang of heroes to go find and save her. On the way there you have to fight lackeys, deal with clues and hints as to the whereabouts of the princess, extorting information, etc. Then after you rescue her, you find out she has been poisoned and needs to be carried to a medical facility, and of course as you are carrying her out of this hell hole you are ambushed. She's dying and you and your gang are out-numbered; you need to make some immediate choices, do you risk sending one of your members to run past the mob that just ambushed you while you and the others hold them off, do you set her down and take on the mob risking her dying from the poison or being killed by one of the enemies, do you split your group into two parties, do you retreat and try to think about how to progress all while risking having the princess die, etc.

You could turn one task into a multitude of tasks constantly forcing the player(s) to use the wits to overcome great odds.
Anyways, I am not a story teller, but if I was getting paid to write quests I would make sure that each quest was long and worth it (worth it not only in physical rewards but emotional ones as well; you should actually value the lives of the people you are saving or value the item/skill you are questing for; there needs to be a serious reason behind why you are doing something and then the task performed to achieve that reward needs to provoke thought). After you finish a quest you should actually feel like you saved someone you knew or rescued a village from being torn asunder by a group of bandits. Like, if some guy says, "hey you need to save us from some pirates that are encroaching on our camp". Those pirates better come to that camp and start killing villagers. And you should lose some credibility/end rewards for every village you let die. These are simple game mechanics that could be achieved but are not implemented out of laziness and the fact that devs can get away with it. If some guy says go kill 8 boars and 8 wild cats, no one stops to question why. No one really cares, it's just a pre-requisite to get to the next level and get that much closer to the end game content everyone is raving about. Quests should take hours or days to complete (not to mention they should be void of any time limit... I am looking at you EVE); they should really get you involved in the story and introduce you to characters and allow you to interact with them; you and your group should FEEL like the main focus of the story, not just some random guys in the midst of a random setting.

Philosophically I think about games the way I think about my life. It's about the journey, not the end. I don't care about the supposed rewards I will receive at the end, I care about the here and now and enjoying this moment; if you are not enjoying every moment of the game you are playing, it’s time to switch to a new game. That's just wasted time you can never get back.
Anyways, these are just my opinions; if you share similar views or have VAILD responses please feel free to respond to me; if not, I will take Baggs stance and suggest you ignore me and move along.

Finally an articulate mind on this board. You asked good questions and made good points that NO ONE has yet addressed. And this is very important; in life, I have come to take it, as a general rule of thumb, if someone makes a compelling argument that clearly reveals the filth of an object (in this case the poor quality of this game), then is ignored by the community that supports said object, there is truth to be found within that man's words. 

Just by reading this forum I was turned off from AION. If its community is filled with people who actually ENJOY killing the same group of spiders for 10 hours, cannot express themselves intellectually, and have no reason behind why they like something then there is certainly no room in AION's game world for me.

I like games which require the players to think (chess, ??, MTG, some RTS games, puzzle games, etc). The only MMO that really offers this (that I am aware of) is Guild Wars (unless you count MTGOnline or other games that are like MTG). Guild Wars is a great game because of one very simple factor: the abundance of synergies amoungst the skills. All of the skills are very synergistic in nature so it is fun and challenging to create builds for various situations (there are a ton of PvP and PvE options in the game). Because of this Guild Wars thrives on a very healthy and georgous meta game. It's nice to constantly see the meta game change every month or so; it really keeps the competition alive and prevents the game from getting repetitive (though if you lack compotent players the game can get pretty stale if you aren't that big a fan of PvE). This one single factor pretty much indefinitely gives the players new content to work with (or until you've managed to formulate every build combonation in the game).

But enough about Guild Wars. Many of you can probably infer by now that since I was a fan of Guild Wars I, naturally, had high hopes for this game; though I was aware of the garbage NCSoft could produce (L2, CoH/V); though I did enjoy Dungeon Runners for a bit (which despite the fact that it was every thing I hated in an MMO was able to keep me playing for a few weeks because of it's undeniable charm by fusing humour into an online game. Though it got really old really fast) and Exteel (however that is more of an FPS and a completely different subject). 

When I found out that AION's combat system would be supporting a "combo" system, I thought I might be something like the assassin's combo system from GW and got prematuraly exceited. However, after reading a bit about I heard that the combat is pretty bland and takes little to no thought effort to string together combos (I guess you can hot key them to trigger from 1 command). Also from the videos I have watched the combat seems pretty sluggish.   

The second point made by Baggs really disapointed me. I was hopping that PvPvE existed, but since it plays out like PvEvP, really what is the difference between that and a PvP realm like in World of Warcraft (a game that I turely cannot fathom why it is liked by so many people)?

Baggs' 3rd point made me laugh. Adding in a potion that elimites conditions is insanely stupid. Why would you add incentive to not play certain builds (degen builds and any healing build that prevents or focuses on preventing degen in this case)? Potions just helps lessen the amount of freedom one has for making good builds. It helps force everyone to play the same build (unless you are OK with playing a build that is mediocore and universally unaccepted by the community. Just look at WoW; there are quite a bit of skills in the game, however, there are only like a max of 4 [decent] builds per character. You will find yourself playing the same build for pretty much the entirtey of the game leaving you with no ability to really mold yourself or evolve to different situations; and to make matters worse, in WoW you have to PAY everytime you want to reset your talent tree; giving players an even greater incentive to not test out certain builds; this increases the incentive to look online and steal tried and true builds that other players have already figured out to be the best; though calculators are nice, there really is no point in using them since other people have already done the work for you; and since the skill pool for most games (not sure about AION, but wouldn't be surprised if it followed in the footsteps of other successful MMO's) are very small and the number of decent, usable skills is even smaller it ensures cooki-cutter play style (EVERY MMO suffers from this. Even GW. Once a new build changes the Meta, everyone is playing that build).

The quests in AION just seem so stupid: go kill mobX, go gather berryX, etc. Can't any create meaningful tasks? Why not have every quest actually feel like a quest. Quests are supposed to be long or epic. They aren't supposed to be over in a few minutes. They should feel like you accomplished something after you are done. It could be something as simple as, on your first visit into a new kingdom the princess is kidnapped by some evil villian and it is up to you and your gang of heroes to go find and save her. On the way there you have to fight lackys, deal with clues and hints as to the whereabouts of princess, extorting information, etc. Then after you rescue her you find out she has been poisoned and needs to be carried to a medical facility, and of course as you are carrying her out of this hell hole you are ambushed. She's dying and you and your gang are out-numbered; you need to make some immediate choices, do you risk sending one of your members to run past the mob that just ambushed you while you and the others hold them off, do you set her down and take on the mob, do you split your group into two parties, do you retrete and try and regroup to think about how best to progress and risk having the princess die on you while thinking the best course of action, etc.

Anyways, I am not  a story teller, but if I was getting paid to write quests I would make sure that each quest was long  and worth it (worth it not only in physical rewards but emotional ones as well). After you finish a quest you should actually feel like you saved someone you knew or rescued a village from being torn asunder by a group of bandits. Like, if some guy says, "hey you need to save us from some pirates that are encrouching on our camp". Those pirates better come to that camp and start killing villagers. And you should lose some credibility/end rewards for every village you let die. These are simple game mechanics that could be achieved but are not implemented out of laziness and the fact that they can get away with it. If some guy says go kill 8 boars and 8 wild cats, no one stops to question why. No one really cares, it's just a pre-requisite to get to the next level and get that much closer to the end game content which is what everyone is raving about. Quests should take hours or days to complete (not to mention they should be void of any time limit... I am looking at you EVE); they should really get you involved in the story and introduce you to characters and allow you to interact with them; you and your group should FEEL like the main focus of the story, not just some random guys in the midst of a random setting.

Philosophically I think about games the way I think about my life. It's about the journey, not the end. I don't care about the supposed rewards I will recieve at the end, I care about the here and now and enjoying this moment. If you are not enjoying every moment of the game you are playing, its time to switch to a new game. That's just wasted time you can never get back and never will get back.

Anyways, these are just my opinions; if you share similiar views or have VAILD responses please feel free to respond to me; if not, I will take Baggs stance and suggest you ignore me and move along.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Meh, another theme park where your progression runs on rails in a very narrow world.  The scenery is gorgeous until you realize that you can't actually go to a lot of those places that you can see. Nothing for explorers here.

Replayability is minimal since every character you create is going to take the same dull ride as the one before. In fact, both factions have essentially  the same quests with the only differences being names and the mobs involved. It's soloable until about level 18 when forced grouping hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. From that point, you can either group or grind the same boring mobs over and over.

However, you  can make some very pretty characters. Still, if you love shallow PvP and forced grouping, you might be happy here, that is, if you can find enough like-mindeds to play with six months after release.

Ok, I like how people claim Aion as being linear. First off, you do understand that any game that offers quests is in fact linear because believe it or not, thats what quests do, lead you around the world. Theres 2 types of MMO's, Sandbox and Linear and aside from SWG, Shadowbane and Eve Online, everything else is pretty much quest based, aka linear.

As for the boundries in the game, sure, thats a valid point. However, I can see why it was needed as this is a PvP oriented game and if there were no boundries, you'ld probably end up with a slew of issues involving high level ganking of lowbies and so on. It's not realistic, but than it's fantasy, so I can live with it.

The funny thing about Aion is that every class seems to be very viable in PvE and PvP. They also maintain their viability to max level. Basically what I'm getting at is that, as much as an ALTaholic I am in other MMO's, I'm almost 100% certain, I'll play one toon to 50 and keep playing him since the PvP is so similar to DAoC, I won't get bored.

I solo'd from 1 to 25 just fine. Since someone already stated that quests have poor XP rewards for the most part. To be perfectly honest, your better off killing mobs in a local area for XP and loot instead of doing quests. Hopefully they address this issue by increasing quest XP, but as of right now, I'll be grinding mobs come release cause it's much quicker.

Ok, theres no forced grouping in PvE. You can level without a group just fine. As for PvP, it's definately group biased as both sides prefer to zerg each other.

PvP in Aion is far from shallow. I noticed someone else said that statement you made makes your credibility crumble almost instantly and I agree. Aion has by far one of the most dynamic PvP systems in place and I've played a crapload of MMOs. Dark Age of Camelot is the only game prior that even compares. So please, indulge me with an MMO example that has better quality / meaningful PvP than Aion.

Just going to throw my two cents in:

I played the beta events as well, and while I don't believe Aion is going to reinvent the MMO, I think a lot of people aren't giving it a proper chance.

Coming from something like WoW, yes, Aion seems grindy (as the interview states, mostly by western gamers; the eastern audience is quite comfortable with games that require more time to level).  The truth of that is that the experience will be what you make it.  If you focus only on the task of solo leveling, and not of enjoying yourself in an online community with other players around the world, you will quickly tire of any MMORPG.  Aion strikes a good balance, imo.  It's not as arduous as past games in the genre (L2, FFXI), and there always quests.  The quests are easy enough to solo but difficult enough that you'd probably find it more enjoyable to group.  In my experience, gamers call a game linear when it offers quests; whereas games often referred to as sandboxes omit them in favor of unguided mob killing to level.  Pre-CU SWG is a great example of a sandbox, and leveling any combat profession in that game ultimately boiled down to killing creatures en masse.  Whether you chose to organize a group of friends and be social while doing so was up to you.  The same is true for Aion; you could ignore the quests and explore freely (beyond a certain point), or you could do them.

I think really what a lot of the downtrodded MMO vets on this forum (and I'm one of them), need is a bit of a change in perspective.  The leveling process in a game like Aion is merely meant to be something that goes on while you are hanging out with friends, exploring, meeting new people, etc.  It's meant as a legitimate facet of the game, not something you rush past to get to the endgame (WoW).  Sure, it would be great if more games allowed players to progress through things like crafting or more directly social activities, but until those games come out with the level of polish that Aion provides, it's not going to do much for the genre.  Sitting around yearning for that mythical perfect MMO isn't going to lead to your satisfaction (unless you happen to be a brilliant game designer with a talented team and loads of cash - then by all means, keep dreaming).

It's a tad unfair to label every new MMO that launches a WoW clone, don't you think?  Especially because WoW got most of it's ideas from previous entries to the genre, like EQ  (yet no one calls MMOs EQ clones) and built upon them.  That's what this genre does.  Because MMOs are more costly to produce and maintain than console games, developers take the parts that worked from other games, innovate on a couple things, and ship.  Some things will be familiar.  It's unrealistic to expect developers to completely reinvent the genre with a new release.  Aion is innovative in that way, perhaps moreso than games like AoC and WAR were, in fact.  I'd say Aion is more remniscent of Lineage 2, anyway.

Btw, you hear a lot of people who come from WoW to play Aion say good things, because most of us who are tired of WoW have sat around complaining on vent or gchat or forums like these about the issues with the game (too easy to the point of being meaningless, oversimplified pvp, negative community, etc);  they then go to Aion and find that a good deal of those issues are not present.  It's a refreshing feeling, and I hope that it lasts (for myself too).  It has it's own issues, but whether you choose to focus on them and let them hamper your experience is really about attitude rather than mechanics.

Good points were addressed for the QQs about Aion, but fail for comparing it to WoW.

WoW is full release, while Aion is still in beta testing. I enjoyed the interview, but Aion is Aion, and not WoW or another we wanna test our version of mmo on your dime.

I play Aion because I have fun where in other MMOs I don't, and its still a beta ha WTH. I'm only going to have more fun with the full release!

"Aion can have killer graphics, an interesting and well developed story, the most robust mmo character creator system ever seen, endless gameplay customization, and it's still going to come down to the most important question, "Is the game fun?"

No.

I really tried to like this game in the beta weekends, but it's just the same boring linear game play. Story is boring, and item customization is way too random. The game plays well however, and I had very few issues with lag or bugs, but when it comes down to it, I just didn't have fun.

Why does Lani insist on misleading people ? "If you want to focus on PvE only, you can." is a lie, it just isn't true, post lvl 20 you will be forced into non consensual PvP. 

Originally posted by EvilGeek

Why does Lani insist on misleading people ? "If you want to focus on PvE only, you can." is a lie, it just isn't true, post lvl 20 you will be forced into non consensual PvP. 

No its not, you can reach 50 without PvP

I don't think that's what he means. Yes, you can level to max via PvE only in PvE "mostly" territories. You can't avoid PvP entirely, since rifts are random. You do get forewarning about a rift opening in you area though, so you should be able to plan accordingly.

Originally posted by EvilGeek

Why does Lani insist on misleading people ? "If you want to focus on PvE only, you can." is a lie, it just isn't true, post lvl 20 you will be forced into non consensual PvP. 

Sounds sexy.

Originally posted by Leucrotta

Originally posted by EvilGeek

Why does Lani insist on misleading people ? "If you want to focus on PvE only, you can." is a lie, it just isn't true, post lvl 20 you will be forced into non consensual PvP. 

 

No its not, you can reach 50 without PvP

You can not reach level 50 with out ever being subjected to PvP. You don't have to seek out PvP and can avoid it the best you can and still reach level 50. However, with the Rift "invasion" system, you can and will be ganked in PvE zones with no ability to opt out, other than to log out when you see trouble and hope no one is around next time you log in.

I plan on playing on a server with the current rule set. However, if the game is going to hope to not lose half their US customers after the first month, they need to offer PvE rule servers where PvP only occurs in the Abyss, or where PvP vulnerability can be turned off in PvE zones for those who don't want to deal with it while playing the PvE content in the game.

Originally posted by Xasapis

I don't think that's what he means. Yes, you can level to max via PvE only in PvE "mostly" territories. You can't avoid PvP entirely, since rifts are random. You do get forewarning about a rift opening in you area though, so you should be able to plan accordingly.

The problem is that the game world isn't that large and there is no redundant PvE content. If your zone is invaded, that's going to be the only zone for your level range. Your choice will be to log off.

I still haven't read one single reason why someone should buy this over any other MMO, except for "I'm bored with my current one".

"It has wings" doesn't cut it.

The game looks like Cabal Online.. Where the game developer focused more on Skill Effect and PVP styles which attracts more and more player..

Why would you need somebody to "sell" the game to you? If you're remotely curious, you'd check for yourself and make your own mind about it.

Originally posted by Papamac

From 1-20 I haven't noticed any grind. There are always quests available as you level up.

I think Aion has the potential to be an MMO force to be reckoned with. It's not going to be perfect when it launches (no title ever is) but it is going to have enough going for it to make people want to at least try it.

My only real complaint is that there are a few too many invisible walls where there shouldn't (imo) be any. That can make the world seem more restrictive (smaller) than it really is, and it serves to discourage random exploration. That (again, imo) is a shame, since the world itself is gorgeous, and just begs to be discovered.

I'm looking forward to release. The dev team has done an awesome job with localization so far, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun when the first rush of gamers all reach the Abyss for their first PvPvE experience.

Peace. :)

 

There wasn't a problem from 1-20 with AoC either, was there?

Originally posted by fiontar

Originally posted by Xasapis

I don't think that's what he means. Yes, you can level to max via PvE only in PvE "mostly" territories. You can't avoid PvP entirely, since rifts are random. You do get forewarning about a rift opening in you area though, so you should be able to plan accordingly.

 

The problem is that the game world isn't that large and there is no redundant PvE content. If your zone is invaded, that's going to be the only zone for your level range. Your choice will be to log off.

Or we could go the way of a nice large world like 'Warhammer',  where you can choose to avoid the main purpose of the game. 

Originally posted by Papamac

Originally posted by Taram

TBH I wanted to like this but when I tried it it just wasn't that fun.  Painfully linear with no real storyline whatsoever.  Quests are boring and repetitive at best.  Runes of Magic is a better game, frankly, and it's free to play.

 

 

I respect your opinion, and admire the courage it took to express it in a public forum.

I've played both games, also. There is no comparison between the two, in my opinion.

Peace. :)

I would have to agree with the above poster. Runes of Magic is quite a nice game although it is a very basic PvE game. There really is no comparison to a free to play game and a pay to play. Runes of magic is essentially a WoW clone at the very best with a few interesting gimmicky features to attract some curious gamers in.

from 1-20 i never felt bored, the game is fun , specially the graphics are a Highlight (depends on the PC you play with ;)  )

the quests are fun to play , in higher level you need a grp, fine there is a grp-finder included,makes it easy to find a grp. Not many people used it while beta , but i guess after release it will be used more often.

to compare a new MMO with an existing MMO has pros and cons, and will never do justice to one of the MMO.

I prefer to take any MMO , like it is , as a new MMO with his own characterism  :)

So, i like Aion and i will up to play after release.

mfg

PS.: Wow sucks :=)

I bet 90% of people that gave it a try and find the quest without story and linear are rather silly.  Beta don't even include an opening and straight goes to the first starter's area.  It is beta, they are not giving us the full game.

On the issue of it being linear and storyless.  A novel is usually linear as hell, but there is a story.  It is because it is a story that it is linear,  the same can be said about any games.  However, I would have to say people probably didn't even read the quest converstaion with NPC and just hit the accept button.  Yeah, easy to say the story isn't there when you didn't bother reading the story. 

I read it and tried to play around with the quest, and found some interesting after quest that is not available unless you did certain actions in a previous quest.  This involves actually choosing a different option than just the standard, "k thx bye", after completing a quest.  In this case the problem is more likely with the player than with the game. 

Remember that quest where you have to steal the nymph's cloth.  Apparently that nymph is actually a daeva, and there is an after quest for it if you choose the option to not give the woodcuter the cloth you stole. (You can give it to him immediately again after refusing though, this will open up the quest in sanctum and complete the quest with woodcutter)  People who just click give him the cloth no questions asked will not receive the additional quest.  The game even bothered marking it with a optional reward mark on the top of his head to let the players know there is a difference to be made here.  However, people that doesn't read the log nor pay attention will almost 100% miss the nuances of questing.

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Originally posted by Taram
TBH I wanted to like this but when I tried it it just wasn't that fun.  Painfully linear with no real storyline whatsoever.  Quests are boring and repetitive at best.  Runes of Magic is a better game, frankly, and it's free to play.
 

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I don't know anything about Runes of Magic, but this pretty well sums it up for me. The combat system, I will grant, is pretty nice. It's similar to most other games, so it is easy for most people to pick up. The combo system is clever and well done. It feels reactive and real. Each class is pretty standard, no new ground there, but they really feel (to me) the way that class should. The mage is really a glass canon. They are incredibly powerful at range, and they have abilities to keep you at range while they blast unholy amounts of damage your way, but if you can get up to them, you can smash their face in. Scouts really feel like your rangers and assassins (I never played one high enough to actually pick). You stealth behind your target and you destroy them before they new what happened. You have a feel for the world around you. It's wonderful.

It's gorgeous. There are certain things that seem dated about the way the engine was built, but overall, the textures and models are far and away better than anything I've ever seen in an MMO.

The problem lies in the freedom. It doesn't feel like a world at all. It's linear; you are forced to go from point A to point B to point C. You are forced to do certain quests in a zone before you can proceed to the next zone. For story, that has it benefits, but it doesn't give the player the freedom to choose. You can't fly where you want, you can't fly for long, and while there is potential there, I don't think it will live up to it. You can't go where you want in the world. You can't even swim! I'm sorry, if I'm an adventurer, and Angel, and I can't swim, that's pretty pathetic. I kill things for a living and I can't figure out how to move my arms and legs together to stay afloat? That's an immersion killer for me right there.

Another huge immersion killer are the cities. In the outposts, most people are standing still, waiting to give you quests, but in the cities, there are more players and NPCs walking around, going about their day. If you are in a city full of angels, they should be flying most of the time. I just can't imagine a city of angels where they are all okay just walking about on foot. I am not even allowed to fly there. I am an angel and I can't fly at home? It just breaks it for me.

Do they support Mac gamers?

friends of mine use macs so i am curious, also don't bother posting mac vs pc crap i don't really care about it, i just wanna know if they support Mac gamers.

Originally posted by Leodious

 

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Originally posted by Taram
TBH I wanted to like this but when I tried it it just wasn't that fun.  Painfully linear with no real storyline whatsoever.  Quests are boring and repetitive at best.  Runes of Magic is a better game, frankly, and it's free to play.
 

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The problem lies in the freedom. It doesn't feel like a world at all. It's linear; you are forced to go from point A to point B to point C. You are forced to do certain quests in a zone before you can proceed to the next zone. For story, that has it benefits, but it doesn't give the player the freedom to choose. You can't fly where you want, you can't fly for long, and while there is potential there, I don't think it will live up to it. You can't go where you want in the world. You can't even swim! I'm sorry, if I'm an adventurer, and Angel, and I can't swim, that's pretty pathetic. I kill things for a living and I can't figure out how to move my arms and legs together to stay afloat? That's an immersion killer for me right there.

I agree with you about the freedom. For me, that is the deal breaker. I literally felt like I had no choice in the game when it came to what quests to do or where to level. EVERYTHING is a pre-determined path for you and you have little to no choice to not devaite from it.

I like choice and I like to explore and adventure out through a game. Aion limits that and its a deal breaker for me.

What is worse is that when you create an alt, you have to do the same zones and same quests again with no deviation.

Make the wrong class choice at 10? Or find out you don't like that class at level 20? Same zones and same quests.

Want to re-roll on a new server because the server you were on is unbalanced/laggy/crashes or all of your friends are on another server? Same zones and same quests.

Sorry, I have been around MMO's long enough to know when I will not like a game or the game has mechanics that I will not like. I have final stopped and made myself forget the honeymoon period and the "OMG this new game is SO awesome" feeling and think 3-6 months down the road. And honestly, because of the above mentioned lack of freedom, I do not think I would make it past the first 30 days. So I will save my $50 and move on.

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Originally posted by Kris.Kringle

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Originally posted by fiontar

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Originally posted by Xasapis

I don't think that's what he means. Yes, you can level to max via PvE only in PvE "mostly" territories. You can't avoid PvP entirely, since rifts are random. You do get forewarning about a rift opening in you area though, so you should be able to plan accordingly.

---

 
The problem is that the game world isn't that large and there is no redundant PvE content. If your zone is invaded, that's going to be the only zone for your level range. Your choice will be to log off.

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Or we could go the way of a nice large world like 'Warhammer',  where you can choose to avoid the main purpose of the game. 

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That's gotta be a joke.

Warhammer's main purpose was suppose to be RVR but even in end game it's mostly PVE keep swaps or PVE in their new LoTD zone.

Don't use Warhammer as a example of good gaming to hold up to others. They got some good things in the game but end game RVR is not one of them.

Aion would do well to not force PVP on people in PVE zones specially when it's the only place you can go to level. Give people options... not giving it to them will just drive people away when they get tired of being ganked by higher level people while they are simply trying to level up.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by arrius2410

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Meh, another theme park where your progression runs on rails in a very narrow world.  The scenery is gorgeous until you realize that you can't actually go to a lot of those places that you can see. Nothing for explorers here.

Replayability is minimal since every character you create is going to take the same dull ride as the one before. In fact, both factions have essentially  the same quests with the only differences being names and the mobs involved. It's soloable until about level 18 when forced grouping hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. From that point, you can either group or grind the same boring mobs over and over.

However, you  can make some very pretty characters. Still, if you love shallow PvP and forced grouping, you might be happy here, that is, if you can find enough like-mindeds to play with six months after release.

 I don't understand it, if you don't want groups and want to play alone doing quests, then why not just play a single player game. Also about the shallow PvP, which game today has better PvP to offer? In my opinion, this game has huge potential, alright it might have some invisible walls but for it just being 1.0 beta it sure delivered.

I didn't see any grinding problems when going from 1-19 in 18 hours just from quests. Plus since I had friends that were playing with me, group quests where no problem but I am sure when the game comes out, more people will play it thus solving this problem.

 

 

Gods, not that old saw again! The reasons why people may enjoy playing these games without grouping or PvP have been stated over and over in numerous forum posts on countless websites, yet some of you just can't factor it into your myopic view of how things should be.

I've also been around the block a few times and have heard the "it's beta" garbage until I'm ill. Beginning with my first beta, which was Horizons, people like you have been pointing to some unseen patch that will make everything better after release. These fixes never seem to materialize and the game you're playing on the last day of beta is essentially the same thing you'll play at release. So, if you're happy, then you'll be okay. But don't try to convince the undecided that there's some miracle patch around the corner. It's never happened.

The version launching in NA is 1.5. You have been testing 1.0. Rather than point to one patch that is coming, we can look forward to 3 (1.1, 1.2 and 1.5). Think there might be some changes? Or do you really think the last day of beta will be the same as release (1.0 vs. 1.5)?
 

If you don't like the game, fine, go away. But really, cut the BS and don't try to convince the undecided that there's no changes around the corner...

Eloar, dude, wall of text for a game that you've already given up on? Who are you trying to convince? The readers or yourself?

Sorry to burst your bubble but GW was crap. If that's your idea of a good MMORPG, well, you need to get out more...

I have run through the last 3 beta tests and I have to say that at least the producer is telling folks a more "real" version of the game they are offering.  I know things can still be changed before launch but it's a bit refreshing to read this and realize that they aren't promising something that the game doesn't deliver.  I agree that the game can be a bit "grindy" if you will but that doesn't make it boring by any means.  I still hate the crafting and resource collecting but to each their own I suppose.  It's basically EQ 2's crafting system which I actually liked when building items for my house but hated for everything else.  I had more fun this time in beta than the previous 2 but I think that had to do with getting deeper into my character this time.  They are going to have to improve server performance and fix the rubber banding though.  The server performance didn't improve at all regarding lag and the rubber banding could end up killing pvp. 

Originally posted by fiontar

Originally posted by Xasapis

I don't think that's what he means. Yes, you can level to max via PvE only in PvE "mostly" territories. You can't avoid PvP entirely, since rifts are random. You do get forewarning about a rift opening in you area though, so you should be able to plan accordingly.

 

The problem is that the game world isn't that large and there is no redundant PvE content. If your zone is invaded, that's going to be the only zone for your level range. Your choice will be to log off.

Sorry, but that last part is BS.  If you are in a zone with a rift you get a warning and can leave.  Your feet don't get cemented to the ground when a rift opens, you can move.  And, there are zones with no rifts.

Or, you could, ya know, stay and fight...

Originally posted by EvilGeek

Why does Lani insist on misleading people ? "If you want to focus on PvE only, you can." is a lie, it just isn't true, post lvl 20 you will be forced into non consensual PvP. 

that isn't true you can only pve if you wish, like at 20 you go to the next zone wich does have rifts opening but you CAN go to the other zone wich has no rifts. i never ever seen a rift open in the other zone. i can't think of the name but since its the same lvl as the one you're lead to through quests, it costs the same amount roughly to teleport there. i don't think i had a quest to go there i just went exploring and found it to be the same lvl and with no pvp or rifts.

edit: just checked the rift zone is Eltnen and the non rift PVE only zone is theobomos, for elyos

1-20 is very easy. On my first character, first time ever playing, it took me 2 days to hit 20 on my Cleric, and the following playthroughs took a day or less. I believe I got my Sorcerer to 20 in less than a day, with enough time to get a Ranger to 12 out of curiousity for the class. It all really depends on how well you know the game and how many people are questing in the same area as you.

Post 20 however, slows down considerably, though I don't feel it falls to the point of grindy. It feels more like City of Heroes leveling speed pre i9, where it took me about 6 months to hit 50 on my first character (Tank) 4 months on my second (Empath).

Edit: About forced PVP: Both sides are correct. You can strictly PvE if you want, but PvP ~is~ forced on you at certain points in the game. These are rare occurances, and are more to remind people that it is an option of play in the game, rather than throwing it in the player's face. You can still avoid PvP about 9/10 times, but there are times when it is unavoidable:

Rifts - Rifts open in certain maps only that allow people to travel to the other side of the world. These are NOT open 24/7, they only allow a set amount of people through, and as of patch 1.2 (which we will get, and then some, by official launch) NPC Guards will be dispatched to Rifts to help PCs fight those emerging from them.

Quests - Certain quests will teleport you to the other faction's side, perhaps by accident (Elyos NPC Teleporter is young and stupid) or for reconaissance (Asmo level 21 quest). Once you get there, you can simply die and get teleported back instantly if you don't feel like PvPing; the point is just to be there, you don't have to kill anyone...but hell, since you're there, may as well have a bit of fun, eh?

Guilds - Because Guilds usually strive to be powerful, joining one probably means participating in Abyss gatherings. Either make your own or find one that is strictly PvE. They're few and far between, but they exist.

I think alot of people moan and groan... but I personally think this game will be great. It'll be a change from all the other stuff. I myself like the graphics... Kiddy graphics like WoW, just doesn't do it for me.  If you don't like the game then don't play. If you are looking for something totally new, umm MMO's are MMO's.

But I have to agree with a lot of you about the interview, it did suck. No new information that I already knew... Atleast give us more info about the game, or something....

And to the people who plan to play this, cya in game. ;)

Originally posted by Airwren

I have run through the last 3 beta tests and I have to say that at least the producer is telling folks a more "real" version of the game they are offering.  I know things can still be changed before launch but it's a bit refreshing to read this and realize that they aren't promising something that the game doesn't deliver.  I agree that the game can be a bit "grindy" if you will but that doesn't make it boring by any means.  I still hate the crafting and resource collecting but to each their own I suppose.  It's basically EQ 2's crafting system which I actually liked when building items for my house but hated for everything else.  I had more fun this time in beta than the previous 2 but I think that had to do with getting deeper into my character this time.  They are going to have to improve server performance and fix the rubber banding though.  The server performance didn't improve at all regarding lag and the rubber banding could end up killing pvp. 

Uhm, in Europe's ariel the CBT3 performance was terrible, but in cbt4 it was smooth as silk, and it was still rocking 40 mins queues.

Originally posted by TwystedWiz

Originally posted by fiontar

Originally posted by Xasapis

I don't think that's what he means. Yes, you can level to max via PvE only in PvE "mostly" territories. You can't avoid PvP entirely, since rifts are random. You do get forewarning about a rift opening in you area though, so you should be able to plan accordingly.

 

The problem is that the game world isn't that large and there is no redundant PvE content. If your zone is invaded, that's going to be the only zone for your level range. Your choice will be to log off.

 

 

Sorry, but that last part is BS.  If you are in a zone with a rift you get a warning and can leave.  Your feet don't get cemented to the ground when a rift opens, you can move.  And, there are zones with no rifts.

 

Or, you could, ya know, stay and fight...

Something went right over your head. Wooosssshhh....

This game is not WoW or even WAR. There aren't three zones with content for your level. There aren't two zones with content for your level. Heck, there may not even be two areas with in a zone with content for your level. There is one zone for your level range and a small portion of that zone is for your level range.

Also, a level makes a big difference in this game. Mobs one level higher than you are extremely difficult. Two levels higher? For most classes, forget about it.

So, you get the warning that a rift has opened to your zone. There is no alternative place you can go to level.

Yes, the rifts open up randomly and there will be many zones at any given time with out rifts. However, those zones are not going to be accessible to you for leveling. Grey mobs give no XP, mobs slighty higher are not viable for most. So, you stay and hope the invading zerg doesn't find you, or you log out and maybe go play an alt in another level range or on another server.

This is also the reason some people would like a second server type where PvP outside the Abyss is optional.

Aion gave me a pretty good experience with just teh betas, I for one have a hard time sticking to a fantasy MMORPG like WoW, Shaiya, Sword fo the new world, Cabal, Guild wars, and etc, I tried them all and for some reason... i felt very bored after playing each of them for 2 weeks, many times i was nodding off, (WoW accually put me to sleep at my keyboard, fist game to ever do that) so i told myself i'm not much of a fantasy guy, and stuck with FPSs and RTSs and consol RPG games (tales of symphonia ftw), then i decided to start aion after i was refered to it by a few of my friends. at first, the graphics really wowed me and that kinda drew me in. the question that remained was... if is going to be fun. answer: yes it was, I got really into the game, for some reason, this game did something all the other MMOs have done, the flight i have seen something similar in "perfect world" but, it seemed more smooth when in combat and the timer accually is a good check since i beleive flying shouldnt be limitless. the character creations is just awesome and i could sit there all day making characters pity theres a limit . the invisible walls, was somewhat of a bummer but i guess its understandable since in Toblas village there arnt any real reasons to fly and the Mobs just run away from you since they cant hit u. The quests are quite fun and they make leveling quite easier than grinding. the part about "forced grouping" is not really an issue i like fighting in groups and that makes an mmo alot more fun and u get to meet new people in the process.

now Aion does have a few things that i kinda felt annoyed at: when u target an enemy and engage it, after u retreat for a bit and heal after it gives up running after u, the health just shoots right back up to full which kinda pissed me off abit, a simular complaint is that on the asmodea side in the grave yard wit hthe ghosts that hide, same thing happens escept this time they hide from you then you loose the target and the health just shoots back up that kinda annoyed me and i had to use up more mana to kill it and it wasted alot of my time when i had to kill a bunch of em for a quest. the limited boundaries aka, invisible walls bummed me and my sister out since i really wanted to go exploring, and the fact that u are able to drown in this game is really dumb, ok we can fly... but we cant swim?! there seems to be some imbalances in between some classes, the rangers are really weak when it comes to soloing, i guess thats understandable, just my opinion since im more of the get in your face and beat the $#!& out of them with me sword, so dont look too deep into that.

a few minor gliches i found, some times i jump and get stuck between some fences and it took me a while to get out of some of them, hopefully they get rid of me. and in the last beta, in akarios village next to the warrior trainer there are 2 mercenaries beating dummies all day, one time i saw a mercenary beating a dummy in the temple next to the preist inside, along with one of the gryphons, i was like wtf... what happened there?!

over all this game gets a 8.9/10, i hope to see whats next to come ^^

hmm i guess thats true.... theres also the fact thatu can change channels and go some place else that less crowded... sut a thought

Originally posted by Baggs

Why do you avoid asking them real, proper questions?

Aren't they gonna sell AION for real money?

 

Here's a few for your next interview :

 

1.  Will the European and American playbase have any power over what needs to be "fixed", "nerfed", "tweaked" and so on?

Or is it like Lineage 2 where we got w/e update the Korean players wanted? (note : A year later from them as well)

 

2. Why do they keep talking about that thing called PvPvE? They are intentionally misleading the fanbase.

There is such a feature ingame, but its PvEvP and trust me there's a huge difference.

PvPvE = proper PvP with the NPC faction interfering.  PvEvP = You are leveling / questing and you suddenly get jumped by a 6 man group.(if not more)

I kid you not, the Abyss is not for PvPing, its where mobs give the mobs exp per kill + rewards. Which makes it a leveling place.

 

3. Will utterly stupid items like the potions which remove ALL your abnormal conditions (debuffs, slow, silence, etc...) be removed from the game? Or they will let them destroy the PvP experience like Blessed Scrolls of Escape did in Lineage 2.

 

4. Will Fortress Sieging stay as it is? I honestly don't see the point of defending a fortress when you'll get more Abyss Points and rewards if you just leave the other faction have it for a day. (Sieges happen every day if im not wrong)

It's already an issue in Korea and China.

Another question on sieges.

Where exactly is the fun part in capturing a fortress by killing a raid boss?

Where is the PvP part of Fortress sieging when nobody defends them?- because they have nothing to lose anyway, they will recapture them the next day and be rewarded for it as well....

 

 

Honestly i could go on and on and on and on with real questions that need real answers but i cannot be bothered.

I played a Spirit Master to level 36 on Chinese retail and i don't feel like i have accomplished something.

I reached the Abyss rank of Soldier rank 3 but that's mostly from mobs and enemy NPCs, not from killing people.

And that's not just me, its what everyone does. Its just faster and more convenient.

Mobs and NPCs will always give you the same amount of AP and they will always respawn, when a player will stop giving you points after you kill him a couple times.

 

Don't get me wrong here, i believe AION has the full potential of becoming a very successful MMORPG, even hit humongous numbers like World of Warcraft.

But. That won't happen if the game stays as it is. Lots of tweaking is requiered and people like me want to know beforehand if the company has the resources, the guts and the will to make these changes happen.

So far, even from official announcements they are not changing anything to the game but translating it to English, French and German.

The core mechanics are staying the same, they are only adding new items and zones which doesn't really change things.

It just recycles boredom and nothing more.

 

 

Thanks for reading my post, if you don't agree with me there's no need for flaming, just ignore me and move along.

I played Lineage 2 for over four years, i am playing in Aion CN, and all of the NA beta's. Aion is not like Lineage 2, there may be some  minor similarities but the games are totally different. One thing i'd like to add is i dont know where people are getting their information from regarding bot's in Aion. So far in Aion CN bots have been rare, as rare as getting a nice weapon drop in Lineage 2 if you know what i mean.

I have always had the mindset that if there was some thing, or a game that i did not like, i just wouldn't buy it, instead of wasting my time and energy complaining about it.

Originally posted by Leodious

 

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Originally posted by Taram
TBH I wanted to like this but when I tried it it just wasn't that fun.  Painfully linear with no real storyline whatsoever.  Quests are boring and repetitive at best.  Runes of Magic is a better game, frankly, and it's free to play.
 

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I don't know anything about Runes of Magic, but this pretty well sums it up for me. The combat system, I will grant, is pretty nice. It's similar to most other games, so it is easy for most people to pick up. The combo system is clever and well done. It feels reactive and real. Each class is pretty standard, no new ground there, but they really feel (to me) the way that class should. The mage is really a glass canon. They are incredibly powerful at range, and they have abilities to keep you at range while they blast unholy amounts of damage your way, but if you can get up to them, you can smash their face in. Scouts really feel like your rangers and assassins (I never played one high enough to actually pick). You stealth behind your target and you destroy them before they new what happened. You have a feel for the world around you. It's wonderful.

It's gorgeous. There are certain things that seem dated about the way the engine was built, but overall, the textures and models are far and away better than anything I've ever seen in an MMO.

The problem lies in the freedom. It doesn't feel like a world at all. It's linear; you are forced to go from point A to point B to point C. You are forced to do certain quests in a zone before you can proceed to the next zone. For story, that has it benefits, but it doesn't give the player the freedom to choose. You can't fly where you want, you can't fly for long, and while there is potential there, I don't think it will live up to it. You can't go where you want in the world. You can't even swim! I'm sorry, if I'm an adventurer, and Angel, and I can't swim, that's pretty pathetic. I kill things for a living and I can't figure out how to move my arms and legs together to stay afloat? That's an immersion killer for me right there.

Another huge immersion killer are the cities. In the outposts, most people are standing still, waiting to give you quests, but in the cities, there are more players and NPCs walking around, going about their day. If you are in a city full of angels, they should be flying most of the time. I just can't imagine a city of angels where they are all okay just walking about on foot. I am not even allowed to fly there. I am an angel and I can't fly at home? It just breaks it for me.

*grimace* Reading the game lore would tell you why that's not possible. The short answer is you are not an angel, nor are the other side demons. Your wings are a product of Aether, a mystic source of power which is available in various quantities depending on the area. Areas where you can fly, Aether is abundant, and where you can't, it is not. The wings aren't technically a physical part of your body, which is obvious from your ability to equip different ones (later in the game), though the wing emote does work pretty much all the time.

First of all to be fair to Aion,being asked if it is a WOW killer is so vague and a brutal question.

The questions should be direct on the aspects and game play of AION.If you want to compare certain aspects to another game ,that is cool,but a vague question like"WOW KILLER" is wrong and offers no insight about Aion what so ever.

Second thing that caught my eye was the question/Answer about feedback.They state the public offered great feedback,yet they talk about the smallest of changes that would take almost zero effort,so do NOT expect ANY game changes from customer feedback,all changes will be very miniscule.

I do not believe for a second there was any effort to generalize the game for the North American player,all they did was transcribe the language,that is not much effort at all as far as game design goes,that is something all developers do if they want foreign people to play their game.

I have no idea if their 1500 quests are accurate,i highly doubt it,because that is creeping close to EQ2's quest line,and i know for a fact EQ2 has a ton more quests than Aion,as you can get a quest from pretty much EVERY NPC and the majority of mobs drop quests as well,and there is a lot more of both in EQ2 than there is in AION.Oh well most developers hype up the numbers beyond the truth.NCSOFT is stating the 3.5 mil or whatever people are throwing around,is NOT official at least they were honest about that.

I guess none of this really matters,the questionnaire did not do much to get into the depth and design of Aion,as there is MANY outsiders who still do not know of the game or what it involves.To me the game is just a tad below average,but no matter ,the game might appeal to some other people,they would have got nothing from this interview.

Talk of "Grind" is another biggie that has me baffled.IMO there is no such thing as grind if you are having fun playing a game.If the core of the game play is so boring for you to call it a grind,then that game is obviously not for you,no sense dwelling about grind.

Future interviews,i hope to see in depth questions,like comparing graphics to other games,or comparing the combat system or the size of the world,mob AI,any quests that stand out as different from other games.What sort of things does the game offer that gives players options other than questing or PVP?so many questions/topics can be brought up to give people an in depth view of a game.After all the interview is suppose to be for people that do not know the game,the people that already know the game,do not need to read the interview or questions,since they know the answers already.

Originally posted by eric_w66

I'm hitting a slow spot on the Elyos side at 18-19. Most of the quests I have left are all involving 4 dot Tursin's and I can't kill a level 16 4-dot at 19 as a sorcerer atm. And trying to get a group for them seems rather hard when most people don't respond or don't speak the same language (hey Dana, another reason why regional servers are good...).

Weirdly enough i am having the same difficulty....and i have tried the chanter and assasin and warrior and spirit master and ranger.  Ranger though i have had the most success. as you can actualy kite the bad guys......

But the main problem is that no matter how many bugs or problems we western players find......they are goign to not be using the current system.....which means i personaly fail to see the point to their beta test right now.....

Anything we post for ideas and what ever...have thus far gotten a response that the 1.5 version is the one that will be used and then they say not much more......

The closest they get to talking about any problems is when one moderator listed all the things people mentioned....well listed most of the big issue ones anywise.....and only in a general way...meaning they probably will do nothing.

This reminds me of how they handled Tabula Rasa and Auto Assault

Originally posted by Leucrotta

Originally posted by EvilGeek

Why does Lani insist on misleading people ? "If you want to focus on PvE only, you can." is a lie, it just isn't true, post lvl 20 you will be forced into non consensual PvP. 

 

No its not, you can reach 50 without PvP

And why can't I reach 50 with PvP?

The whole "this allows players to transfer back and forth between play styles without feeling like they're missing out on big rewards by only focusing on one." is a complete lie. As a PvP-er I am forced to level exclusively through PvE. "big rewards" my a**... we're talking basic xp here that I have to grind with mobs. Why is there no viable way to level through PvP? And especially for the first 25 levels?

The game should allow PvP-ers to level through PvP if they wish so and the PvE people to get stuff comparable to Abyss gear later on. We can't talk about any kind of "equality od playstyles" until this is done. During beta I felt forced to do what I didn't want to do and which gave me no real pleasure whatsoever - and that is grind mobs. I don't want to be forced into anything by a game that I'm paying.

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Originally posted by abyss610

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Originally posted by EvilGeek

 

Why does Lani insist on misleading people ? "If you want to focus on PvE only, you can." is a lie, it just isn't true, post lvl 20 you will be forced into non consensual PvP. 
 

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that isn't true you can only pve if you wish, like at 20 you go to the next zone wich does have rifts opening but you CAN go to the other zone wich has no rifts. i never ever seen a rift open in the other zone. i can't think of the name but since its the same lvl as the one you're lead to through quests, it costs the same amount roughly to teleport there. i don't think i had a quest to go there i just went exploring and found it to be the same lvl and with no pvp or rifts.
edit: just checked the rift zone is Eltnen and the non rift PVE only zone is theobomos, for elyos
 

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The other zones without rifts don't have as many quests (could change with 1.5) and certainly don't have the right resource nodes if your intent on working on your gathering for crafting or profit. How often do you focus on the world chat? I know I missed several times the announcement that a rift had opened and got zerged several times by rift squads of 20-30 players,  I wish people like Lani would be a little more upfront about that, sure you can focus on PvE but you cant escape PvP unless you go to a substandard area or interrupt your game time and log off or go do some crafting when a rift opens. If your a pure PvE player Aion is simply not the game for you and it shouldn't be promoted as offering both styles of gameplay equally, it's PvP biased.