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Aion Previews: PAX Preview
MMORPG.com's Carolyn Koh traveled to PAX and got some hands on time with NCsoft's upcoming MMORPG, Aion. Today, she files this report.
By Carolyn Koh on September 09, 2009
Aion, one of the most anticipated MMOs of this year, launches on September 22nd and NCSoft was on hand at Penny Arcade Expo 2009 to give players a preview of the system, running the latest build, build 1.5. Even if some area maps were still in Korean, we were promised it would be completely localized by launch. Lani Blazier, Associate Producer at NCSoft West was on hand to show me the newest features that will all go live by launch.
We looked at the character creation screen which has two tabs. A basic tab which allowed players to select preset styles, and the advanced character customization which gave players slider bars to change many aspects of their face and body. 40 new default faces per faction were added for basic customization, as was the option to change eye color and in response to player feedback in beta, players will be able to change leg length to create some seriously short characters. There are no last names provided in Aion and no change of life name change at Ascension where player characters evolve to Daeva and gain their wings. Players may only use letters in their names. No numbers, spaces or any other keyboard characters. So characters with names like JonBob222 or A@s_h1te will not be running around in Aion.
The tutorial system has also been revamped, with added video and voice-overs to provide a better newbie experience so players won't be trying to read a great amount of text while trying to figure out how to move around, fight in Aion or otherwise navigate the day to day in game.
Class specific armor sets have been added in game to further differentiate the classes looks and silhouettes. Obtaining and equipping a full set of armor will provide full-set bonuses. The advanced stigma system will also be in game. This requires combining different stigma stones in a chain to attain the advanced stigma, and this is accessible at level 45. A 5th tier of rarity for equipment also will be in-game at launch, with five sockets in each piece.
;)
Aion has a system of game instances which they use to provide further diversity in game content to their players. They are simply termed "Instances," and at launch, there will be over 20 different instances. They are all tougher gameplay content that will require a group and one of the first that players access is the one that provides players training to go into the Abyss. That is, after Ascension. Players gain their wings quite early (level 10) and once they have their wings, are able to enter the Abyss. These instances will also provide chances for unique armor and weapon drops from mini-bosses and end-bosses.
I was shown the current end-game instance, the Dredgion. A Balaur ship battle ship that is accessed through the Abyss. This is high level content and is a race between the Elyos and the Asmodians to the end boss. Clearing rooms of Balaur as they progress, messing with each other along the way if they wish to, up to the end chamber. Some of these instances actually scale. Each team earns points for kills and this actually determines the rewards that drop off mini-bosses and bosses. In the Dregdion, the teams are staged and given two minutes to buff before the gates open and then it is a race to the finish where you not only have to worry about the Baluar, you have your ancient enemy to dispose of as well in order to cash in. Chambers cleared will not respawn so one team could possibly run in and behind the other to attack them.
;)
Some of the instances are an alternate copy of the world that players are familiar with. Dark Poeta, for example, is the dark, depressing and evil version of Poeta, a lovely bucolic newbie stomping ground. There are several mini-bosses to be ganked for fun, experience and profit in Dark Poeta, but these instances are repeatable, so players do not need to clear the entire instance but may choose to clear the front areas only, especially if they do not have the three to four hours required to do the entire instance. It can be rushed through; we are told, in about two hours or less by a group that is really on top of their game. Again, the points scored determines the strength and loot table of the end boss. We cheated with GM powers, GM killed some creatures and skipped most of the mini-bosses, resulting in few points earned and a weak end-boss which dropped something equivalent to a rusty sword.
PvP in Aion takes place mostly in the Abyss. With 3-D combat, and the terrain of floating rocks in the desolation of space, the main strategy seems to be stealth and ambush, using the element of surprise. Hiding just under the lip of a rock and using your camera to pan around, players can check on enemy movement and maneuver around the rocks to best surprise their opponents. Items gained in PvP have their equivalents in drops in PvE. Although items are not geared specifically toward PvP, for example - they can be used in all situations, but as I was told, the stats on the items are designed to benefit PvP play a little more than PvE play, and vice versa.
Aion development in the US consists mainly of the localization of content previously published in Korea. Being about six months behind ensures that any bugs and balance issues are first worked out before it launches in the US. Aion launches with build 1.5 with full content to level 50 and is currently in open beta from September 6th to the 13th. Apart from some server instability issues at launch of open beta, Aion looks ready and polished.
Oh boy...this game is too much ridiculous. Can't believe that is one of the most awaited games of the year. ¬¬
i do agree it is quite radical and is THE MOST Awaited , for one reason i have played closed and playing open beta atm... this game is the utmost UB3R L33T SAUCE since "DAOC" dark age of camelot may you rest in peace ! our love and remeberence go with you as for AION we are waiting at the doors of the STOREs with coffee and donuts on the 19th to get the the game on the 20th at 10 am ehheheh !
long live Asmodea
To quote the article: "Players gain their wings quite early (level 10) and once they have their wings, are able to enter the Abyss."
I can understand if Carolyn is not familiar with the game. That happens. However, while you do get the wings at level 10 you can not enter the Abyss until level 25. This line should be changed.
Just FYI. Good day folks.
Dont feed the troll ..>.>
Aion is indeed one of the best if not the best mmo i have ever played, it beats wow by far.
and for all the aion haters that wants something new everytime, think about this.
maybe we don't want all new gamplay.. maybe we don't mind grinding.. i just want an mmo that i know how to play instantly!
like Aion, i don't mind its like many other mmos it brings alot of new things too, may aion grow to be one the best mmo's ever created.
-NaNo
I guess I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I've played in 3 betas now. The game is very pretty, but the "story" is crap, the quests are the same as you've seen a million times, the community isn't exactly top notch, etc.
Honestly, I was bored to tears and will be passing on this one when it's released. Just doesn't appeal to what I'm looking for in an mmo these days. Not trying to troll, just giving an opposing view to all those who are bound to come on and say "Teh PVP rawks and it has bouncy bewbies!!11one!!11!!"
I have played the 5º and 6º CB and I'm playing the OB now. This game have much to offer, some features are really interesting, but a "quest" based MMO can't avoid to be compared to Wow, and i think the quest database is equally fun to Wow, but not larger as. You got bored to do the vanilla azeroth|kalindor quests? ... I did, but I don't transfer the emotion to this new game, because its new. It has these sane feeling, OF COURSE, its quest based leveling.
But the game is very beautiful indeed, in each detail, from the way u get a flight path or portal to the way that you interact to the npc quest givers( small cinematic before some quests ).
Another fact is the size ... 11.3GB with the 1.5 patch installed, quite nice( I run the game in my acer aspire one :P ... 10fps FTW )
Nice article!
Can hardly wait for the release of AION. I've played most of the CB's and am loving what the game has to offer. I have a feeling it's going to be quite successful.
As for the trolls and naysayers- you should really waste your time trying to find a game you LIKE to play rather than posting negativities about a game many others DO like.
Sad state of the world today... everyone just likes to complain.
Go AION!
Well written, just makes me look even more forward to the relase date!
Im so looking forward to the PvPvE action, i sure hope that this will work as well as we moslty all hope!
Cya at Early Access ;)
QFT
QFT
I can't judge the game after five levels. I just want to say that I can't stand the character cretor / avatars in general.
The fedex missions and kill x numbers of this or that mob also really felt oldschool. So for me it is a no go. It certainly doesn't help that the graphics and lore doesn't do anything for me. I can't feel enthused by this game.
BUT when that is said and done I think it will entertain the masses. Some new players will have fun with the gameplay and experienced mmo'ers who just love the cookie-cutter style. Pvp'ers who like to compete might find a good framework too. So I can't say anything against this game, except - right now - it is not for me...
I am really enjoying the game alot. I cant wait to see how the game grows in the future.
Tbh you cant expect the community to be top notch, as the game is not yet released and the majority of the community are not in the game as a result of this. After its been released about a month you will start to see what type of a community is being built in the game.
I can see why this is most anticipated game. It is simple and easy: you just go in and kill few mobs, do few quests and you already know enough to enjoy and be above average, There is no hard work included, same old grinding. I dont say it is bad, especially when so many people are too stupid or ocuppied that they can play only few hours a day at most.
It really doesnt have any new awesome features or something like that. Same old grinding, quest leveling...
I wont be playing it (except if it is free or will have trial I will give it try a second try) but I still say: Good luck.
Bwahahahahaha.
So uninformed.
Only way I would play it is if it did not have a monthly subscription. The game just does not have enough depth to justify paying a monthly fee. They should have made it like Guild Wars without the monthly fee.
Sounds good, really looking forward to start playing this
Reallllly want this to be released already. I need a good new MMO to play for a bit wihle I wait on some of my other MMO's that I want to get already. Bored out of my mind! Need some Aion love! :(
Aion is still going to be released on the 22nd? I've done some searching on google and thats whats im getting.
NA yes, EU 25. Early Access 20 :)
Bwahahahahaha.
So uninformed.
Just about which part exactly? Simple and easy: I tried and it was easy to get things, easy to level up, not like in DF or ryzom or FFXI or some other games.
Dont tell me there is no grinding/quest grinding. Personally for me quests was very boring and easy to do.
Game is suited for casual players: true, it wouldnt get so much attention otherwise. Look at other games which require brains and you will see that they dont have many players.
Bwahahaha. If you reply at least thrown in some arguements....
Your opinion. In my opinion this game's monthly fee is the most justified one.
I hope they will ditch GG at some point in the near future, so I might try it too.
I'm playing Aion at release (and right now actually) but I can admit its nothing special/new.
Its just the most polished, best looking, best pvp mmo that is coming out anytime soon. ToR, GW2, APB, FF14...the list goes on of games i'd rather be playing.
In fact, I wish that Mythic would just re-release DAOC + Shrouded Isles (and maybe catacombs, but NO atlantis) with a graphical upgrade and the original frontier. I would pay for and play it before I spent another second in any mmo that has come out or will come out this year.
Just about which part exactly? Simple and easy: I tried and it was easy to get things, easy to level up, not like in DF or ryzom or FFXI or some other games.
Dont tell me there is no grinding/quest grinding. Personally for me quests was very boring and easy to do.
Game is suited for casual players: true, it wouldnt get so much attention otherwise. Look at other games which require brains and you will see that they dont have many players.
Bwahahaha. If you reply at least thrown in some arguements....
Darkfall? NEXT!
Seriously the beginning stage is practically a tutorial, Aion is not easy and it is evident 25+. If you want to survive in the Abyss and be on the top tier and matter at endgame you need to be much better than your average casual.
Just about which part exactly? Simple and easy: I tried and it was easy to get things, easy to level up, not like in DF or ryzom or FFXI or some other games.
Dont tell me there is no grinding/quest grinding. Personally for me quests was very boring and easy to do.
Game is suited for casual players: true, it wouldnt get so much attention otherwise. Look at other games which require brains and you will see that they dont have many players.
Bwahahaha. If you reply at least thrown in some arguements....
There isn't a single mmo on the market that requires any sorta of brainwork besides learning all there is in Eve Online. All you did was make yourself look a dumb and the person who quoted your orginal post. Also DF is an amazingly easy game and just requires you to spam left click faster than your enemy. FFXI wasn't at all hard to level it was just time consuming. Don't mix the two things up having to wait hours to get a group to level in FFXI doesn't not make the game harder it makes it more annoying. Got nothing to say about Ryzom. It isn't hard but its really different and one of the only good semi up to day sand boxes on the market.
Presently in OB, the game had a rough start with OB, but, it plays smoothly now. This shows how NcSoft stands behind their game and fixed the problems in OB, allowing for a smooth commercial release of the game.
Like any MMO, there is grind in the game. What makes the game fun for me is getting tnto the abysess. Once there the PvP is fun, fast, and furious! I personally didn't think the PvE was bad either.
Don't compare this game to WoW. It's not. It's been around in asia for a year with a huge fanbase. I think it well do well here too.
Oh so you only want your point of view displayed huh? Sorry to break your bubble, but a forum is a discussion of likes and dislikes. If you can't stand criticism go make your own board and only allow positive statements. Without criticism this really would be a very boring world!
I am glad some people like Aion, I did not find it much different than most of the other Wow clones. I probably won't bother playing it. The pvp could help this game. I thought the crafting was exactly like Wow, an afterthought.
While it is a very well designed game and has many fun aspects, it is not the the next coming. Still waiting for a decent game to break the EQ/Wow format. I think most of us are just tired of the same old design. Aion just does not differ much in that aspect.
Tbh you cant expect the community to be top notch, as the game is not yet released and the majority of the community are not in the game as a result of this. After its been released about a month you will start to see what type of a community is being built in the game.
TBH, the community doesn't much exist. A bunch of fanboi trolls from WoW and maroons who respond - sheep - BAH!!!! cows - Moo!!!
The game itself is fairly linear, go here, do this, get that, etc. Presentation is very nice - excellent graphics and smooth interface. There is a sense of humor [Saving Tutty is followed by saving Poppy... after what happens to Tutty, EVERYONE save Poppy :)]. The areas are nicely balanced with good to very good xp for your level.
IMO, the game is not a grinder - not like LotRO trait quests for example - go kill 450 Guaredain for determination! XD or L2 where you have to kill 9000 of something to get that last mat for a 60% recipe.... that fails. I dunno about WoW, I never played it.
The story is crap... well, lol, it's still being written! Right now it is sufficient, Master's of their world, the sorcerors of old tampered with the roots of creation... for their arrogance, the world was split into light and dark with the Abyss between. So what more do you need? Those other guys, they're bad, go kill them in the Abyss.
Observations: seems like more Wowies wanna play the pretty Elyos... and then spam chat with how bad Aion is and like that. These people should be hunted down and killed. Personal observation, seems like Asmo *may* be attracting the hard core pvpers.
Oh ya, crafting is top notch, you can easily keep yourself in very good to excellent gear without too much effort. The AH is different, fixed prices instead of free bid, juries out on that. REALLY good gear is BOA which kills farmers [aww, that's just too f*ing bad]. And there are LOTS of quests designed to put $$$ in your pocket so you can get that rare thing you have your eye on.The quests are durational it seems. The Krall quests will have you spending a lot of time in a bad area - lol, take friends and a few rezs! The rewards for the long quests make it worthwhile.
Last thing is atmosphere. Aion has it, whether you are running to Sanctum to turn in the language quest or taking a transform potion to investigate the pirate wreck, you are DOING it. You refer to your map, oh good, you can fly here. You practice your glides and get better with those, you get attacked by something nasty while doing something innocent. The game draws you in. Your armor gets better and that translates into more damage! Ya - now lemme at em!
All in all?
Gameplay: 9
Graphics / audio: 10
Atmospere: 10 - immersive gameplay
Crafting: 9
Econ: 8
PVP: 9
Community: 4 - wow idjits trolling for abuse get old fast. nitwits that release before a healer can rez. failure to realize factional play YET :)
Overall: 8.6 - lol not terrible for a game that hasn't been launched yet!
Urantia, BG
FIREBIRDS
Elyos, Israphel
Oh so you only want your point of view displayed huh? Sorry to break your bubble, but a forum is a discussion of likes and dislikes. If you can't stand criticism go make your own board and only allow positive statements. Without criticism this really would be a very boring world!
I am glad some people like Aion, I did not find it much different than most of the other Wow clones. I probably won't bother playing it. The pvp could help this game. I thought the crafting was exactly like Wow, an afterthought.
While it is a very well designed game and has many fun aspects, it is not the the next coming. Still waiting for a decent game to break the EQ/Wow format. I think most of us are just tired of the same old design. Aion just does not differ much in that aspect.
lol - the Messiah has not yet come, huh. LOL - that's the separator between the TRUE BELIEVERS and "them". :) The only real comment though was on the crafting. I found it integral to my [your experience may differ] play. I was able to craft excellent gear, both armor and weapons for my toon as I leveled and make some serious kinah at the same time. The right mats were in the right areas, the rare stuff was in places that you would expect rare stuff to be in. I can't compare it to Wow, I never played it, but I can compare to Lineage 2 [L2 crafting is total cr*p] and LotRO - which is nice but limited.
LOL, ok, last comment - when wow sets itself out to be all things to all people, finding a game that will break that mold may be a long wait! Aion does what it does and does it extremely well. Quibbles? ya, there are some but the GMs are still tweaking this and that. I have seen a DRASTIC improvement from Sunday [lag anyone with a sideorder of rubberbanding?] to last night. Is this the perfect game? LOL, I haven't played ALL games but I have played a lot [mostly single player, only this, L2 and LotRO online] and this game rocks... me :)
Urantia, BG
FIREBIRDS
Elyos, Israphel
Just about which part exactly? Simple and easy: I tried and it was easy to get things, easy to level up, not like in DF or ryzom or FFXI or some other games.
Dont tell me there is no grinding/quest grinding. Personally for me quests was very boring and easy to do.
Game is suited for casual players: true, it wouldnt get so much attention otherwise. Look at other games which require brains and you will see that they dont have many players.
Bwahahaha. If you reply at least thrown in some arguements....
LOL - in a world devoted to the search for the easy button, you say that like it's a bad thing. In a world where many people are working two or more jobs to make ends meet, you say casual player like it's a bad thing. So, go find a hard, complex game that takes 12+ hours / day to get ahead in. Make it open pvp with scores for ganking noobs. LOL, let us know how that works out for you. And how long that game lasts before it can't pay it's billls!
Urantia
A while back I stated what I didn't like about Aion. Some of the things I didn't like a couple months ago seemed to have been fixed and tuned since then. When I played in Closed Beta for 20 minutes, I felt the character models looked very good, but the terrain such as the trees, water, and landscape looked worse than WoW's.. This really turned me off from the game. I guess the graphics I saw in closed beta must have been in low settings as they are in most mmo game in beta testing.
After redownloading the game for open beta, I take back ALL my negativie comments. After creating a character and cranking up the graphics, I appeared in a forest and took a few moments to take everything in. The graphics are by far the BEST I've ever seen in ANY mmorpg on the market now. Player models are so polished and detailed the newbie armor/weapons look better than WoW's end game epic gear. The detail is just so amazing. As I began to look for mobs to fight, I couldn't help left clicking and holding down my mouse to scan the insanely gorgeous landscape. How the sun beams down through the perfectly detailed trees is just mesmerizing. I enjoy the combat system. The spells and animations are nice. The UI is similar to most mmo's like EQ2, Vanguard, WoW, etc. The experience I'm receiving is similar to hwo I felt the first time I logged into the original Everquest 10 years ago!
Now I'm glad I pre ordered Aion! Can't wait until the 20th. :)
Those that haven't checked it out already should really look into trying to open beta. You have nothing to lose but the time it takes to download. :P
Being a person who plays several MMOs at once, I would have to say Aion is up there on my list of games to pick up. I will be playing it alongside Champions Online atm as the two cannot really be compared. I would also say that this game can't really be compared to WoW. There is the typical cookie cutter MMO styling, yes, but it has been done in hundreds of MMOs so I don't see how this can be used as a detractor. The story is decent, but then so is WoW and any other MMO I've played.
What makes this game stand out would have to be the graphics and the general ideas and world the game present. These are the two fundaments (IMO) that seperate MMOs today. That being said, people who like the game either: Have awesome computers (like myself) that can take full advantage of the graphics the game offers or like the overall graphic and character design, or 2: Like the idea of being able to fly in a world which has an apparent light, dark and mysterious kill everything in its path, enemy. I happen to like this game for both of the above reasons. Good vs Evil vs Evil (+) is intriguing. Not really black and white but somewhat of a gray area.
So unless anyone can really say otherwise, those are the only legitimate reasons I can see for liking/disliking Aion or any MMO made this way (cookie cutter). Both of those things are really the opinion of the player. If you are a fanboy of some other MMO and just want to detract from what other people are playing, then you are clearly wasting valuable time you could be using playing the game you like and collecting all that thirteen thirty-seven gear you crave. If you cannot be objective about a game, with facts, and not "this game is better than this game because I said so" then I can only come to 2 conclusions: One is that you are 12 and maybe do not understand objectivity yet, or you are retarded.
All I'm saying here is that one person may like the graphics and idea the game presents more than another which makes it fun to him/her. I can still like aion, and WoW at the same time, I don't have to put one down to have a good time.
You know what, I've asked around the forums, I've done my research, I played the game myself, and I am quite certain this game is not only the best MMO for me of 2009, but will also have a substantially large community. I am quite excited about, and look forward to seeing people when it comes live.
This game may look good but graphics do not make it good. I played the beta found the game way too linear. Grind after grind The flying is a novelty thet wears off really fast when you realize its very limited in flight time and where you can actually fly. But the game will have alot of people buying it at launch question is will they be able to keep them. Personally i dont think they will the game will get old and boring really fast. For me it took 20 levels. Also the forced PVP is not my thing getting ganked for no reason by a bunch of morons isn't fun for me. So this is a pass for me. Personally i was looking for a new game this deff isnt it. Going to stick with WOW until something else comes out.