By far Shaiya is the best  MMORPG I have played since WOW.  The graphics are absolutely beautiful.  Top notch support.  Contests, PvP, item customization,  I'm not going to stop playing it that's for sure.

Like I said, this is a must play

Is it any different than the other f2p Korean MMo clones like Rapplez or Last Chaos? Or more of the same crap but different skins?

Pretty much like all the other F2P mmos, only this one has 'discovered' ASDW keys for moving about!! what a revelation! 

/sigh

You know, if one of these devs actually decided to put some effort into making a pay to play worthy game then they'd be a dominator. Free + item shop + actual content would mean some good money and a big subscriber base on their end. They seem content on constantly rolling out a new shallow Lineage 2 clone to replace the old though. A generic grindfest might be fine for Asians but I think Westerners expect some variety and uniqueness which these games sorely lack.

Originally posted by donaldduck

Pretty much like all the other F2P mmos, only this one has 'discovered' ASDW keys for moving about!! what a revelation! 

Your post just shows  you haven't really played this game. Shaiya is imho the best f2p together with perfect world.

@OP, I agree with you.

Originally posted by sumuji

Is it any different than the other f2p Korean MMo clones like Rapplez or Last Chaos? Or more of the same crap but different skins?

Yes, it's much better than those games.

Shaiya looks and feels like Lineage 2, but with less grind, more quests, a better skill system and better pvp. The game art was done by the same designer who did Lineage 2 and Aion (kjun.org). Open beta started Dec 18, so the game is of course still not as complete as L2 and the game world is still smaller than L2, but its growing (Episode 3 comes this month (adds crafting, maps, etc...), Korea is already on episode 4).

If you want some more detailed info check out my reply in this thread: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/1926273

Real quests or 'Go kill 15 rats' followed by "Go collect 15 rat tails"? Most of the F2P games fresh on my memory have quests but it's just quests to hold your hand with grinding and that's a deep as it ever gets.

Do they have the same equip as other f2p games? lvl 10 get Axe, lvl 30 get Large Axe, lvl 60 get Great Axe...etc etc etc with nothing in between, where everyone is equiped with the same exact weapon minus the inevitable stones or whatever to enchant it?

Drops-  Same as most with 99% coins or completely common items or do you actually have a chance to get rare equipment from normal mobs or  bosses that drop something exceptional most of the time?

Customization- The usual choice of a few faces/color and hair styles/color and that's it?

PvP- Get penalized for killing too much?

Skill system- Is it a system that allows you to have to actually make a choice to train something up and not being able to train up other skills as a result? Like how a proper skill tree should work where you have limited points to spend and not enough train everything?

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Originally posted by sumuji

 

Real quests or 'Go kill 15 rats' followed by "Go collect 15 rat tails"? Most of the F2P games fresh on my memory have quests but it's just quests to hold your hand with grinding and that's a deep as it ever gets.

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Yes it's the same quest style as 99% of the other mmorpgs. On a positive note, the quests texts are nicely written. Another good point is that the combat system is very weel done. The skill system is very good and the combat animations and dynamics are awesome; due to this combat is fun (as opposed to so many other games like Vanguard, lotro etc... that have poor combat ) I don't feel a grind in this game.

But if this bothers you I think you are playing the wrong type of games. There is not 1 mmorps that is not a grind. Be it grinding quests or grinding mobs it's the same. It you don't like it, I think you can forget the genre all together.

Well, there is actually 1 game I can recommend to you :DDO (dungeons and dragons online). This is a heavily story centered game, where each dungeon is hand manufactured. But due to this it is of course 99% instanced, so forget the open world.

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Originally posted by sumuji
Do they have the same equip as other f2p games?

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yes

If you don't like it I recommend Everquest 2, or wait till Aion (Saiya is a nice game to play until Aion comes out).

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Originally posted by sumuji
Drops-  Same as most with 99% coins or completely common items or do you actually have a chance to get rare equipment from normal mobs or  bosses that drop something exceptional most of the time?

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Yes, coin and common items. And also there is a "small" chance you can drop rare items. There are also many bosses (many solo and many party bosses) that drop special items

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Originally posted by sumuji
Customization- The usual choice of a few faces/color and hair styles/color and that's it?

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Yes

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Originally posted by sumuji
PvP- Get penalized for killing too much?

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You don't need this with this pvp system.

There are 2 sides on the server (light and fury), you have to chose which side you join and you can't change afterwards. Currently each side has about 3 pve maps (episode 3 will bring more maps this month) and there are about 3 pvp maps.

In the pve maps there is no open pvp, and you won't see the adversary there (this makes all the pve fans happy). In the pve maps you can however duel (solo or guild).

The 3 pvp maps are accessible depending of your level (1 map is lvl 1-15, 1 is 20-30 and 1 is 1-60). There you fight the other side of the server, and you are encouraged to kill as much as you can. The side winning in pvp gets a goddess blessing (stat boost) for every one on the same side on the whole server). In the pvp maps there are also quests and dungeons. You can also drop crystals to improve weapons there.

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Originally posted by sumuji
Skill system- Is it a system that allows you to have to actually make a choice to train something up and not being able to train up other skills as a result? Like how a proper skill tree should work where you have limited points to spend and not enough train everything?

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Yes. Also character builds are different depending on the skills and the stats you choose (i.ex for the fighters a str (+damage) build will be different from a dex (+ evasion and hit) or a luc (+critical) build).

Also combat is not just press button 1+2 like many other games (i.ex lineage 2 and others). You have skill chains, and you will have to use the right skill chain depending on the type of adversary you fight. And pvp is very strategy centered, if you just go in there straight away without thinking you die. It's a lot of fun to plan some advanced strategies together with several other parties and then go out and take the enemy down
 

Sounds like one of their other clones Last Chaos allbeit with better PvP and a type of overbreeding which is present in other Asian grinders that allows minimal character progression but more points to spend on skills. Not any fresh ideas here, just different ways of implimenting them in each game although perma death for hardcore mode or whatever sounds new at least to me.

Sorry, I'll think I'll pass because it just sounds like another one fresh off the assembly line. These games are just way too shallow for me to get hooked on.  Maybe some day they'll make one that's p2p quality instead of the sterotypical Asian grinder with lots of shortcomings and it will be something i can stomach for a significant amount of time.

You seem to be having fun though and that's all that's important.

I agree with sumuji it is mostly like any other ftp game out there atm but with a better pvp system and possibly skills ystem that is a little touched up I played this and its really not to appealing. You do level faster then most other games but seriously this game is all grind. Once you get to lvl 50 you go to hard mode so you can lvl with more stats points but less xp which means more grind. after that you get to w.e level to do the hardest mode so your character is ultimate with a shit load of stats points but again less xp from hard mode which makes it even more grind. Of course you always have the options to choose the easiest play mode but whats the point if you do? If you do then your character will be weaker then all of the rest and you get #uck3d up in pvp.

but like he sumuji said  as long as your having fun that is all that matters. this is just my opinion and all people who read this try the game and see if you like it for your self dont take my word on it I hate a lot of games and may dis them all a bit =]

Originally posted by sumuji

These games are just way too shallow for me to get hooked on.  Maybe some day they'll make one that's p2p quality instead of the sterotypical Asian grinder with lots of shortcomings and it will be something i can stomach for a significant amount of time.

I would be interested to know what mmorpgs you like and play. Because I have purchased and subscribed to more than half a dosen p2p mmos, played all of the "better" f2p mmos, and tried many other p2p and f2p.

I have found so many of the p2p mmos boring. To me it all comes down to 1 thing: gameplay. And what is gameplay in an mmorpg ? Its combat + character progression + weapon progression + armor progression + community interaction/fun (-> also add +pvp + territoy/castle ownership) . That's the meat of the stuff. These things must be fun. Everything else is added fluff and polish (which is off course good and improves a gaming experience, but it's secondary to the central part of the game).

So many p2p games concentrate on the fluff, and give only little attention to the most important part of the game.

Want an example to put a picture on what I try to say ? Take Lotro : awesome polish, but the most important feature that is central to the game (as said above) sucks. So the game seems to have everything.... but its boring to play.

Now, take lotro again and do this:

1. improve combat animations and feeling (something like DDO, yes DDO is also a turbine game, but if you play a fighter combat is great with an awesome feeling of hitting your target. Why did they mess it up in lotro ). Makes the grinding fun.

2. improve armor and weapon graphics to make them something you are really looking forward to spend time grinding and leveling for.

3. remove the soul less monster play and give the world 2 sides like Shaiya. So players can play as trolls, etc... and then you have some awesome battle fields in pvp. Don't forget castle sieges and guild castle/fortress ownership (yes this is in the lotro lore, remember the books and the movies ?) . This would give a completely different dimension to character progression and guilds. Of course npc fighters would autospawn to push the enemy back if it is too strong, so that it can't completely invade the opposite server side to keep in line with the lotro lore.

Now this would be a hellovagame. Why did turbine miss this ?

So... well, I'm now playing shaiya. Of course is doesn't have everything but at least, compared to many other games, the meat (gameplay) is there. And this, for free. I hope it will keep my interest untill Aion comes out (and maybe I'll try AoC).

http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/173169/page/5

I like how you just copy and post things you've already said. There can't be ANY world pvp in lotro so get off it lol. They have already stated when people were crying about no world pvp they have to stay true to the lore and that the evil side already has a fate layed out for them....they don't win lol. Yes they could have made world pvp with a monster side but what would they raid against or quest for? They meet their doom no matter what so gl with that idea lol. If you're talking about the things they did right that's great but don't keep saying you wish they should have made a monster side when you're not thinking it over. I'm not trying to bash you in the ground just makes no sense to keep posting on how lotro should have done something that wouldn't make any sense at all if you stopped and thought about it.

Originally posted by DragonOpt1

There can't be ANY world pvp in lotro so get off it lol. They have already stated when people were crying about no world pvp they have to stay true to the lore and that the evil side already has a fate layed out for them....they don't win lol. Yes they could have made world pvp with a monster side but what would they raid against or quest for?

Well, before posting you should first read the lotr books or watch the movies. Then you will realise that there are 2 sides (good and evil) and that there are castle sieges, etc...

And you don't need "world pvp". Shaiya has 2 pve sides (the opposite faction can't go there), and in the middle you have several pvp maps; there you can implement castel sieges with some castle/territory ownership and everything you want, as I said with autospawning npcs to push the enemy back if it gets too strong to keep in line with the lore.

But as you don't seem to read the lotr you also don't seem to read what I write.