Just in-case nobody has heard the latest Neocron 2 News:

========== What is Neocron Evolution 2.1? ==========
Reakktor’s different departments are currently working on some large improvements for the game. Our main focus currently lies on improving the graphics and further developing the graphics engine.

We consider some of these improvements so drastic that we decided to present these as Neocron’s evolution stage 2.1 to the public. Of course this upgrade will be free of charge for all Neocron 2 customers and will be released in several large packages. As these measures will, once they have been completed, have a considerable impact on the effectiveness of the client and the download sizes, we will provide a new client that contains all the current patches and upgrades. The current clients will naturally remain compatible.

Now on to what is being worked on: as we have learned to be cautious with announcements in the past, I can’t reveal too much about the changes to the engine. What I can tell you is that we’re working on improvements to areas like shadows, physics, collisions and player position updates. Updates about specific features will be released as their development finishes. The main points of the graphics package are:

Vegetation Update:

Our graphics department has completely reworked or replaced the complete Neocron vegetation. Therefore we were quite pleased to see several requests for nicer vegetation in the forums; that was a nice coincidence. In the same line of thought we have started to further develop the appearance and content of the Wastelands, so that the new vegetation can take full effect. We are currently on this step of the process, which will take some more time. We will keep you updated with graphical content.

Weapons:

The weapons currently available in Neocron are admittedly from "another time". Their look is consequently somewhat stale. But we will bring an end to this soon! Even though we are still bound to the technical foundation of our engine, we will gradually replace all important weapon models. The first package will contain about 10 new models. For starters, our focus lies on the models used by the first weapons the players get to see at the beginning of the game and those that are in special need of a makeover. Unfortunately we can not give an exact timeline yet. But to give you a feel for the new direction, we’d like to show you a few images from already completed models:

Some of you will certainly miss NPC- respectively player models in this listing. There is only so much we can do in one package, therefore this will come at a later time, in a future package.

========== Where can I see the updated images? ==========
You can scour the NC forums for them - but a lot of them are in a collective post over at nc.synergyxr.net. Check 'em out!

========== "Free Evolution Test Run" Campaign ==========
In light of the major changes the Neocron Evolution 2.1 upgrade offers, all canceled Neocron 2 accounts will receive 14 days of free playing time to check out the upgrade. Starting December 1, 2005, the release date of the upgrade, all former Neocron 2 players will have 14 days to take a look at the improvements like the graphical updates, the new weapons, the engine improvements and the new content!

Of course the free 10 day trial will also be available at www.neocron.com for those who never had a chance to try the action-packed Cyberpunk MMORPG.

Also please note that banned accounts can not benefit from this offer.

========== Evolution 2.1 Website ==========
With the release of the Neocron Evolution 2.1 Upgrade on December 1, KK will also unveil the brand new website! It is a completely new, appealing and functional design, based on a much more flexible content management system. A lot of information has been added and new features like polls will make it an important tool for every Neocron 2 player. At the moment there is a small teaser there: http://www.neocron.com/

========== Neocron Arcade: The N.M.E. Project ==========
It is a classic arcade shooter based on the world of Neocron and will be distributed online as a teaser game to raise the interest in Neocron 2. The N.M.E. project was developed by a small team of new employees, who will join the regular Neocron 2 development team after this initiation project! "Neocron Arcade: The N.M.E. Project" will be released on December 7. Check out the screenshots below!

http://entry.neocron.com/news/Neocron_Arcade_001.jpg
http://entry.neocron.com/news/Neocron_Arcade_002.jpg
http://entry.neocron.com/news/Neocron_Arcade_003.jpg
http://entry.neocron.com/news/Neocron_Arcade_004.jpg

========== Evol 2.1 Faction Revamp ==========
In addition to major graphical improvements, the free Neocron Evolution 2.1 upgrade package will also bring a new gameplay features and changes. One of those changes will be the improved faction system, which adds more potential for conflict, mainly between currently allied factions. Old rivalries begin to emerge again and new ones appear. Over the coming months, the storyline will advance the evolution of the conflicts between factions.

To improve both the PvP and roleplaying experiences, the penalties for killing allied players have been reinforced, while the penalties for killing neutral players have been loosened. More types of zones with different PvP rules have also been implemented for a better gameplay experience.

========== Evol 2.1 Engine Features ==========
Due to the graphics-heavy nature of the Neocron Evolution 2.1 upgrade, we focused the development of the graphics engine on performance optimizations. Things like accelerated grass rendering, an improved Level-of-Detail system or a new texture compression system noticeably improve the performance. We also eliminated some old bugs, for example most of the differences between DirectX 7 and DirectX 9 renders should be gone or the zone borders have been aligned correctly so that changing zones will drop you at the correct spot in the next zone.

I bought Neocron 1 X years ago... But was only able to try it couple of monts ago. When I played SP demo X ago game looks great... When I tryed N1 couple of months ago... Well it looks like shit :)

I alwasy wanted to try N2... And will do so at 1st. of dec. I like this move by the devs. If they game will feel right I will join (been looking for new MMO for agres now... I hate L2 clones with different skins, SOE took care of PS and SWG and no way I will pay SOE to play EQ2. Rest is not worth of my time and money), looks nice and have good game play... I will stay with it for some time (just hope I will be able to buy N2 over net like some kind of Direct2Drive).

I will say it again.. Very nice move by the devs... I like it.

I played a free trial of N2 about six months ago and wanted, like hell, to love the game... unfortunately I found myself more frustrated and disappointed than anything. It felt like all the right elements were there, but they were hideously implemented and unsculpted. It has a bad interface, which I think is the main problem. The graphics were not great, but I wasn't terribly put off by them. I'm hoping that this upgrade does more than just addresses the outdated graphics. I'm hoping it also addresses the messy interface.

Beware...this is just another Reakktor scam. They have been doing this for years. Instead of actually fixing the game and bringing in players for the long haul, they create these little "scams" and try to hype up the community to the point that all the little mmo-reject neocron players think the game is going to change forever. Somehow these fanboi's *ALWAYS THINK* the latest reakktor scam is going to make the game a top-notch MMORPG.

The reality is, every single one fails. The populations might rise up for a month or two, but people will realise that the "addon" is just a bandage on a deep wound....it wont help. People will filter away after the 2.1 hype, the servers will drop back to having the same population as your common cs-server, and the dust will settle. Then, not weeks after that, KK will release yet another scam to try and trick people into coming back for a few months to keep the game alive. Some of the bigger neocron scams that have all ended in failure:

- Upon release of Neocron 1, a FREE expansion named BEYOND DOME OF YORK was promised mere months after release. This never came, but it did help spike population for awhile.

- Upon release of Neocron 2, all of neocron's problems were promised to be fixed. The expansion would cost money, but the game would finally be out of beta! Unfortunately, neocron 2 still had the same bugs as neocron 1 beta.

- Upon release of the PvP server, neocron players spread tales of lore all over the internet saying that it will make the game big again...bring back all the old players, and ensure high client counts. This server is only a few months old and has already failed.

The are much more minor scams aswell. Beware of this game, its nothing but a big pile of garbage.

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Originally posted by ZoneseeK
Beware...this is just another Reakktor scam. They have been doing this for years. Instead of actually fixing the game and bringing in players for the long haul, they create these little "scams" and try to hype up the community to the point that all the little mmo-reject neocron players think the game is going to change forever. Somehow these fanboi's *ALWAYS THINK* the latest reakktor scam is going to make the game a top-notch MMORPG.

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First, despite all its (undeniable) flaws, I still enjoy the game. It is one of the very few MMORPGs that have a FPS-like combat system, with much more exciting combat than the traditional Click & Wait. For me, that goes a long way to offset the problems. Also, the client crashes and permasyncs have become less frequent these days.

Second, Reakktor have comitted themselves pretty strongly this time. They have promised a launch for 1st of December, plus 14 days of free playing time for ex-customers. Now it is put up or shut up time. I think even Reakktor know that failing now would hurt them massively in terms of credibility.
So I am optimistic that they have some actual improvements. If not, we will know within a few weeks and I guess Reakktor would feel the fallout

Reakktor has also had a capital injection due to ties with other various companies since their amalgamation with 10tacle. This is brought on new coders and allowed more investment into the game.

I'm not a Neocron 'fanboi' per se - I'm an MMORPG fanboi, if anything. I haven't had an active Neocron account for a couple of months, but I still read news and still will be checking out 2.1 with my free playtime coming up.

No players are promising anything here - it's just news that may or may not turn out to be all it's cracked up to be. Either try it or ignore it - there's no reason to start bashing other people to vent your own frustration on a game.

cya there. I will also be trying new game but I don't think I will stay. Only thing keeping me alway low Populations.

I guess they are having some problems

Evolution is out now. And they didnt push the release date on december 1st 2007 . I hope many new Players will try Neocron now. They dont have to play for Years but they only should give it a try for 1-2 month. There are many Players out there who are searching for a cyberpunk game and they dont even know Neocron .

I've just played a round, and the new graphics are sweet. A few guys are reporting bugs in the forums, but for me it worked well. The only bugs I found were in NPC dialogs on Terra (English-speaking server), obviously Reakktor needs people with better English skills.
Overall, a positive change and the game seems on the way to improvement.

No scam. We promised improved vegetation, improved weapon models and new content. We promised it by December 1st and that it would be free. We delivered on all counts and then some (e.g. new storyline that impacts the StockX, engine performance improvements that allow people to run at high FPS even in the wastes with vegetation on full, opening of Regent's Legacy and the Zoo, new weapons etc. etc.)

There's also more to come because Evol 2.1 is an ongoing process over the next month. If constantly improving and evolving your product is a crime then, yes, we're guilty.

N

/edit -a couple of screenies that people have posted on our website...

well all the 'content' in the game (quests, missions, single player sort of stuff) really is beyond low quality

the part of this game that has made me pay the monthly fee for years is the PVP. it just IS the best of any mmo that I have had the opportunity to try. Unfortunetly; things like this just add more fluffy junk and don't fix the fundamental issues with the game that hurt it's main draw; PVP. Yes there are people who play for RP, people who play for PVM, but that in mind- its a pvp game. Things like PPUs (which when involved completely and utterly shatter all balance and turn fights into the equivalent of counter strike where one or both sides have god mode on), and fatal error bugs, etc.

Also this patch forces vegetation on you. Some say it doesn't effect their FPS but mine is almost halved in the vegetated areas.

I've posted a lot of good stuff about NC and I love its graphics and atmosphere, but until they repair the reason everyone played its not going anywhere except down. People are checking out the free trial but a couple new gun models won't make them stay.

Haha I just noticed they locked down the game discussion forums (except for the noobie boards) so you have to have an active account to see what the current players are saying about the game. I liked keeping up with current events and if Evo was well-accepted I might have considered reactivating my accounts, looks like that isn't going to happen.

Methinks they wouldn't have done this if the feedback from existing players was positive.

lol

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Originally posted by PANDEMIC
Haha I just noticed they locked down the game discussion forums (except for the noobie boards) so you have to have an active account to see what the current players are saying about the game. I liked keeping up with current events and if Evo was well-accepted I might have considered reactivating my accounts, looks like that isn't going to happen.

Methinks they wouldn't have done this if the feedback from existing players was positive.

lol

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N

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Originally posted by PANDEMIC
Haha I just noticed they locked down the game discussion forums (except for the noobie boards) so you have to have an active account to see what the current players are saying about the game. I liked keeping up with current events and if Evo was well-accepted I might have considered reactivating my accounts, looks like that isn't going to happen.

Methinks they wouldn't have done this if the feedback from existing players was positive.

lol

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HES RIGHT

even if we can see the other 3

why censor these??
why not just have no posting??

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Originally posted by Nidhogg

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Originally posted by PANDEMIC
Haha I just noticed they locked down the game discussion forums (except for the noobie boards) so you have to have an active account to see what the current players are saying about the game. I liked keeping up with current events and if Evo was well-accepted I might have considered reactivating my accounts, looks like that isn't going to happen.

Methinks they wouldn't have done this if the feedback from existing players was positive.

lol

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You can still keep an eye on important topics. All the subjects that were discussed in stickies in Comm Talk will be posted in the Announcements forum from now on, and everyone has access to the Announcements forum. You also have access to the player guides & help forum (in addition to New Runners' Corner).

N

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Considering my own plans, I don't have any short term intentions to cancel. But when it happens someday, I think a similar reasoning to PANDEMIC's will apply to me. The stickies and announcements are not sufficient to keep a real interest in the game alive. I guess we will have less old playyers coming back in the future.

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Originally posted by Nidhogg
If constantly improving and evolving your product is a crime then, yes, we're guilty.

N

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Nice to see this evolution, Im going to try this again

I hope someday NC will become the cool game it has to be

Reakktor: This is a good step, but you have A LOT MORE to do, A LOT MORE that you promissed and still not implemented (accesories slot, roleplaying items), things very requested by the community (I remember you promissed this things to come with the NC1 -> NC2 conversion and still not in game)

i would like to come back a third time, i really would, but i know it will end badly again.  i loved the pvp, it is actually skill based.  i like the atmosphere, the story behind the game is amazing. 

so whats the problem?

the game is, after so many years, still unknown.  i havnt seen a boxed edition here in the states since the first release.  and thats another story.  i still remember those days, calling all the gaming stores, and best buy, comp usa etc.  "any word on when neocron is comming in?"

"neo-what?, no never heard of it"

i had to have eb look into it so i could get a copy.  then i went in week after week, delayed.  like what im experiencing with sog atm.  then i get it, the key is messed up.  that was fixed pretty quick though. 

that first year was wonderful.  then pop got low, and scrounging around for a fight outside of pepper park  or searching gene reps for campers was getting old.  i then went on to be dissapointed by shadowbane and daoc. 

heard about the free expansion now not free dome of york.  ok ill try it again.  ......it wasnt finished.  and very little in size was actually added.  i remember my first trip was to regants legacy only to be met by the same shit from the first game nothing. missions didnt work, characters were messed up, i actually was what i can only describe as being teleported inside of someone elses character a few times.  go to my apartment to find myself actually in someone elses.  i could go on but we all know what happened there.  anyway, i work through the epic missions, that was nice, wasnt there the first time i played.  did probably 4 of them no problem. 

enough time passed however that when i moved on to some of the other ones, the population was soooo low, i could not find people in the faction i needed to kill.  and as disgusted as i was about it, i actually had to buy some of my kills just to move on.  and that, that is bullshit.  so i quit again.  the pvp was great, i could take on people way higher rank than me and often i would win, as long as i outsmarted them.  but then after a short time there was no "them", again. 

as much fun as i had in neocron, i will not come back untill i hear news that pops stay high for a sustained amount of time.  it just sucks so bad when there is hardly anyone on, and you really want to play.  this game used to be second behind pre-trammel uo for me. 

biggest problem in neocron?  the only real advertising neocron gets is the info from sites like these and these sites pretty much have to have the info for thier site to be complete.  i have never met, in person, one person that has ever played this game.  and in the 5 or so mmorpgs ive played, ive met maybe two others.  if they can actually get the word out, and get people playing, and keep them, ill be back in a heartbeat.