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AfterWorld : A Quick Look at AfterWorld
Posted Apr 21, 2009 by Jon Wood
MMORPG.com Correspondent Grant Henderson takes a first look at AfterWrold, the free market MMO.
Afterworld is set in the next 200 years in Siberia. Some horrible accident/incident occurred and most of the Earth's population is wiped out. You may not think that would matter much in Siberia, but what animals and humans who were "exposed" but not killed were mutated, leading to cravings for living, untainted flesh or some such. This is a little different from standard sci-fi fare.
While you're downloading the game, I suggest checking out the link on the main website to its wiki. There are tons of articles designed to help new players. Even in its Alpha stage, there's plenty stuff geared toward helping players get into the game. And for all two of you who've read my first article (hi Mom), you'll know my problem with websites and games that were terribly translated. This is not a problem for Afterworld. It's like they care.
;)
I'm actually surprised to see this game here since i don't really consider it a game. It's more like a virtual shop where you use real money for in game consumables. Everything in the game needs AWD and i mean everything (mining equipment, weapons,vehicles,higher level minerals, walking from an area to the next). I played the game for about a week and although i was kinda optimistic at first it because annoying quite fast. First 2-3 days i played it as "f2p", and in that amount of time i talked to countless people who were still in the newbie area after 3-6 months of playing daily.
After paying the 100 AWD(10 EUR or 10$) to leave the newbie area, I kept playing until i was "forced" to make another payment just to get mining tools and the "right" to process the minerals that i extracted.
Most players keep playing(from what i know) for the "potential of the game". The "helpfull" community is just there in the newbie area where people have nothing to do but chat and mine resources, once you leave the starting area a new community completely the opposite of that in quarantine surfaces.
I know i played the game in the "alpha" stage but... a game that asks for money in order for you to play(test/explore whatever) should deliver something and this one didn't.
-The engine for the game is old;
-Collisions are sloppy at best;
-animations completely lack any form of humanoid movement(the legs and arms move but nothing else does, no shoulder/hips etc)
-playing it as a f2p game is impossible(unless you enjoy games in witch clicking every 5 seconds is a must)
-playing it as a p2p games is again impossible because you need to pay around 80 EUR a month to play it(unless you scam other people when you sell goods)
I don't recommend this game to anyone. It's not even worth the time to check it out.
P.S. And I'm terribly disappointed to see a editorial on MMORPG.com about this game with this sentence "Afterworld has the potential to be a good game" in it. You took that "quick look" at lightning speed.
What is wrong with these developers? Wanting us to pay to test their games?
I don't mind paying for a finished product and granted no MMO is finished on release, but at least most of them work the way they are supposed to on release. Those that don't elicite the complaints they deserve.
I will not pay to test something like this, nor should you. There are far better places you can spend your leisure money.
Yeah definitely not worth the time ATM.
We tested zillion games on this web site (ty mmorpg for all the giveaway cays and good job keeping us informed).
But never was I asked to pay to test.
I give you follow up on the story… once you leave the Q1 area you actually can’t hunt if you did not donate (as weapons, fap and armor will cost AWD).
TBH I think you review is rather nice I did not think anything good from what I seen in over 2 years now…
1, paying to test is no way to attract testers
2, only limited items don’t attract me
On side note yeah the game is not really MMO as Entropia is not MMO.
Is hard to tell for the future about AW but to me the testing part is bad start… great community and the wiki is just awesome.
guys, why do you treat AW as a ready made product? It is just a rough copy of what it will be on release.
as for AWD issue - there is a difference between "donate" and "pay", same as "support" and "buy". I enjoy AW testing for 3 years and, besides of the AW itself, community is a great advantage of this project
Doctor Bo,
The problem is requiring one to pay to advance in an ALPHA version. This is unacceptable, to put it nicely. I understand F2P games needing revenue, but one shouldn't pay to test it. And to make it that you will be stuck for days/months or such just because you don't pay is horrible. I'm sorry it may become a great game upon release(assuming it makes it) but it is unethical to do what they were doing. I can only hope they change their business model... I am interested in the game, but leary of it at this point.
Cleaning up the past.
Greetings Tesla Coil
:D
lol i played Afterworld for some time now and made some donation's but i start to get the feeling they just try to scamming me :)
seems they promoting there game with different account's there is no communication with the devs there is no company.
the forum moderator seems not realy objective he does selective whiping / moderating and ban and set people read only that telling the truth about issues bugs etc that are ingame .
i have feeling forum moderator is someone that playing the game himself to and just try to make people look bad that telling the truth.
never see any feedback from devs on the real Questions issues the community have .
no feedback no bug fixes some bug are there for a Year + and no answers on the question's that community made about those bugs .
so why testing and reporting bugs?
Without donations there is no AWD so no testing because you need AWD for everything and all stuff is L.
from my point of view its just a fake RCE you can only donate into the game while AWD description says you can pay out also. but that description is for when they ever or never go gold lol
they can never go gold with things i see they use from other game's.
seems they also want people to invest alot in alpha stage already so they get tied to the game and have to much to lose.
because all of this i think they are just a few people that creating this game at home for hobby and just trying to create a money flow towerds them.
this is my experience and my point of view on AW now
well have fun all with discovering mmorpg's ;)
Before even trying this game, read this comments and the forum so you know what is going to happen
I have play this game now for 3 months, every day keep telling myself tomorrow will be better. but i wont be better it will even got worsed.
Like other said before me, this i just a smart way of robbing people, yeah i know i did donate and not deposit. But if you see how much you need to donate to keep on playing or as others called it testing. for the ones who compared it with EU, this is worst. in EU you can get a global or loot that can keep you going on. Here you cant do anything with your global and loot it can only be sell on market. and believe me it isnt easy to sell on street. after spamming chat for hours you could be happy if you sell a stack of stones or some loot. so after a few weeks of hunting you have a bounch of crap in you inventory and no awd.
asking myself what am i doing here and i discovered its the same reasons as the most playing this game. most missed the golden boot that is called EU. so the most are thinking and are hoping it will become as popular as EU and make big bucks. thats why some are rating this game this high, it dont deserved it. But after 3 months of playing i think this game is in most cases a ripp off from EU, and a legal way of scamming people
Beside this you have to deal with the developers and the community
To start with the community, they say it is a nice and peacefull community, this is the biggest lie, there is only bitch fighting and arguing all the time. i ask myself how people can live like that fighting all day. and for what are they fighting, NADA NOPES.. a bunch of adults acting like kids pfff
Developers what can i say about them they have a lack of communication. lots of people have been loosing stuff in the past and made an support case but didnt receive any answer. so you paid to test but when requesting support there isnt a support :(
http://talk.afterworld.ru/?showtopic=3090
one player was so nice to make a post about how they keep changing there statements, if you ask me why they did it i think they needed the money
http://talk.afterworld.ru/?showtopic=2803
just my 2 awd ;)
hey smok313 i think you mean this link for those Qoute's talk.afterworld.ru/ ;)
Eddie made nice reply on it :)
and this 1 talk.afterworld.ru/
Yeah eddie reply on it is strong.
The game as so many negatieve side effects that i couldnt imagine that games sites like this one make advertisement for it. they should ereased it till there are better sounds from the player base
I am wondering isnt there a company who controle malifide companys, this one is a very suspicious one
:D
well that "one player" was me and it was NOT about "how they keep changing there statements" - it is easy to see 4 anyone who cares to actually read the post (from all the statements made over several years there is only one change - and this is in the favor of the players).
all the whiners here were well-known whiners already on the AW forum, looks like they have found a new home here after they left the game. and then there is the Tesla Coil, a phenomenon in itself in AW realm - in a good sense, and in a bad sense.. don't ask, it's a long story :)
wanna hear the opinion of the die-hard hunter?
4 me the game experience in AfterWorld is better than the hunting in Entropia Universe.
yes, the avatars in AW are pretty, ummm, whats the word - "basic"? :)
but i dont care much for avatar fashion shows anyway, and the landscapes are from bearable (oldest zones) to beautiful (i.e. Desert Peak - like a chinese painting!)
game is as free as u make it, but if u want to advance faster u have to invest something. some like this some dont, i say its cheap, i dont care. in Entropia i spent 3-4 times more at the same skill level.
it is possible to play it for free, and not "just like in Entropia" but it is much easier in AW. still, i dont quarantee it will be much fun in the long run - depends what are u searching for.
everything else they wrote here is as good as the "interpretation" of my post on the AfterWorld game forum.. ;)
actually this game totally rocks and if it continues on the same course it will have a great future
still, 3 things:
- it's an advanced stuff for a die-hard gamer, the game is very complicated, especially crafting
- you have to have very good ability to adapt to "the something different", the game developers are from the borderlands of western and eastern civilizations, so the basic philosophy behind all things can be quite different at times.
- it's not meant to be played as 2-week rush-through, it's meant to be a dedication for years (doesn't matter if u are a donater or not)
anyway, i like it, but if u will like it or not - only u can tell.. ;)
cheers,
the fifth entity
Ok I have read what every one had to say about AW and I have played EU before the new update [now I cannot even log on].
I have been playing RPG games for years and I played the old Pen And Paper long be fore a lot of you where born lol :>
I am going to give game a look see and let you all know what I think and I can tell you now I will be a hard sell if it sucks then I will be the one that can tell and if it is good ok and by some chance it is great well lets see :>
:>
Well I went to sign up and every thing and after all most a hour I gave up and said to hell with it it looks like they do not like me to much over there lol cause it looks like i am locked out :>
OH Well I went to try another game out Anarchy Online to give it a try I hear a lot of stuff from over there as well good and bad so what the hehe...
I will come back later on and try to sign up on AW but I have this feeling that I will not be playing the game any time this year or what ever year the game is in lol
Later all ...
:>
on a serious note, i would recommend a smart and funny discussion here:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/251168/PVP-SANDBOX-upsides-and-downsides.html about the (problems in the) PvP games. DarkFall is discussed in this example, the real hardcore PvP.
AW is close in many aspects, but it is not a full-PvP world - in 8 zones out of 18 PvP is simply not possible. i think everyone can make their conclusions.
in a word, it all depends what u searching for.. in my book the adrenaline rush and danger has to be possible, and also the safe areas for those who don't like PvP or are still skilling up to be prepared for the harsh world out there. anyway, that's my opinion.. and, yes, big societies are ruling the PvP areas, some of them have no mercy, some of them are very helpful and peace-loving..
will not name any names here, those spoilers wouldn't be fair - i'd better leave those things for everyone to find out on their own.
one remark - i'm an old player but don't know any soc that makes their new members into slaves, but i know several that support them. these legends are created by rival soces as part of the roleplay, it takes a real simple mind to believe this to be actually true :D
about, creating an account in AW - it's a small project run by an indie company ( you wouldn't tell it if u look at the game ;) ), still - it means support team works real slow, don't expect fast reply.
What can I say, the review was incredibly generous.
UNREWARDING pretty much sums up this game.
To a new player, there is a empty town which is almost all useless to you, eventually you figure out that exploration is a waste of time, there is nothing to learn, no skills to gain, nothing to do except mindlessly harvest stone.
For weeks.
Unless you pay. The game is free to play in theory, but it would be equally possible to empty a lake with a ladle.
On top of that, the game is ugly and lifeless. The animation is a joke, the models are crude, the interface is a hopeless mess of ugly windows.
TL;DR
Do not play this ugly waste of time.