Profile: gestalt11
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• • AOC = Just Another Raiding Treadmill

  • Originally posted by Ascension08
    

    Originally posted by Mordria
    

     

    Originally posted by Ascension08
    

    Originally posted by Mordria
    

    I don't know what you are all upset about. They have made very clear for a long time what their intentions are with this game.

    You all want an mmo like battlefield, or halo.. I really don't see that happening because they want to create a living world not a mass chaotic war zone.

    No they want to create a heavily story-driven RPG based MMO. Hence the end game raiding

    What does end game raiding have to do with it? I think it's just there as an option. You don't HAVE to participate in raiding. I've played EQ2 for over 4 years and have never been on a raid..

     

    I guess I'm just not understanding what you're getting at.

    Well, just think about it. Every good story has an epic ending, right? If you follow it all the way to the end, then it leaves you hanging, that's pretty lame. Raiding is a great way to put in the climax, such as fighting the main antagonist(s). You've heard about him in the lore...now fight him for real...it's got an appeal to it. You don't HAVE to, yes, but where most companies make the mistake is putting the best gear in those raids. Fanbois say crafted gear that's used for PvP will be just as good; there's no way to determine that now. If indeed they're wrong and it turns out raiding gear is better, people will feel like they HAVE to raid if they want to be the best. Honestly, if there was a way raids could change...once you cleared it, those guys are gone; maybe more bad guys move in and spice things up a little...I'd enjoy it 100% more.

    Raiding isn't epic.  Its boring.  Assembly lines aren't epic.

     

    Raids suck.

     

    The thing that gets me about this topic is how even reasonable people fall for the "Raiders won't affect PvP gear" mem.

     

    Typical political BS, when asked about whether or not they affect other PvEers who won't raid which will almost certainly be like 80% they just restate that it won't affect PvP and avoid the question.

     

    And when finally cornered on that point even the Dev just resort to "Why do you care what other people get?".  If they really believed that had any merit then they would not even bother to rewards raiers better.

     

    The AoC Devs have been nothing but hypocrites and political douchebags in this regard.

  • Posted: 5/10/08 8:23 PM
    Age of Conan
• • AoC-Finally, a Low Fantasy MMORPG!

  • I might be inclined to agree if  I thought that AoC was actually pulling off the low fantasy of the original Conan books, but I don't think that. 

     

    The prevalence of magic, the "epic" raids; its just a pig with lip stick on as far as actual low fantasy.

  • Posted: 5/09/08 12:44 PM
    Age of Conan
• • Why are there not more skill based games?

  • 2 reasons

     

    1) it is easier to make sure people don't make crap characters.

     

    2) Level based character creation allows for level based mobs.  This allows the developers to give content that can precisely match characters abilities.  Otherwise a decent consideration system and well matched content becomes extremely hard or next to impossible.

  • Posted: 5/08/08 2:46 PM
    General Discussion
• • Lord of the Rings Online - or why I hate cute worlds

  • Originally posted by Gameloading
    

    If anybody could send me the mod that makes WoW orcs and trolls pink, that would be great.

    But seriously, WoW a cute world? There are dead people hanging in trees, there are skulls and skeletons stuck on torture equipment.

    Cute wouldn't be the first thing that comes to mind if I were to judge WoW's world, especialy when compared to something like Flyff, Ragnarok Online or Trickster.

    Well the OP is not a native english speakers so to clarify his point, he wants a world that is grim and harshly realistic so its no so much about "cute" per se.

     

    And warcraft really is not great at pulling that off, IMO.  Warcraft, right from the first time I saw it in the 90's, always seemed to me to be Warhammer extremely lite.  Heck there isn't even Chaos in it and the closest cnalog, Demons, are very tame.

     

    However I do not really agree that LOTRO should be lumped in with WoW.  Yeah the Shire and Bree are nice but the darker parts of the world and the dread mechanics etc make it in my mind a middle road as far as grimness and that seems just about right for the setting.  Just run Garath Agarwen and do the red maid quest line and you a get fine illustration of corruption and redemption.  You essentially have to send her to rest because you can't un-corrupt her and her own sister sends you to do it.

  • Posted: 5/08/08 2:42 PM
    General Discussion
• • Player Death v Immortality

  • Originally posted by ianonmmorpg
    

    While I agree with your basic premise Gestalt, I would highlight you're assuming that the game is linear. That is to say that you'd be repeating all those tasks again for your second or subsequent characters. In a sandbox dynamic game with an evolving world its possible that it is the world and the events within it (events that your character(s) may will be deeply involved in) that draw your efforts not just attaining some token level (remember we're not employing 'levels').

    I agree that some will find death and starting a new character very frustrating (indeed many would) but its the attraction of the world and new stories rather than a single storyless grind repeated adinfinitum. Its the attraction of seeing this world from new angles perhaps very new angles as new races etc.

    No a sandbox game can be very repetitive and boring depending on the mechanics.

    Also an Eve Sandbox like game will have same problem with death.

     

    I think most likely scenario is an Event driven game with a lot of GM story manangment like the Gemstone MUD is the most likely to tolerate Perma-death especially if you can organize things in such a way that things like sacrifice can be meant to mean a lot.  Like the charge and sebsequent death of an entire guild alliance at one city so their realm could permanently take the other city as part of an event story line.

     

    I think that in some regards you are on the right track that you need dynamic stuff and that people need to be able to make their stories and legends.  People would sacrifice a character, even though it would make them sad, to be able to say they were a fallen hero of their realm or whatever.

     

    In fact I think I would purposely wipe all characters every year to 6 months and start a new  "Age" in the story-history of the game so that people could never feel too attached.  Whether the content itself is linear I don't think it really matters and to some extent as part of the past time aspect of the game linear content a number of advantages.

     

    A sandbox has just as much or perhaps more potential for hoarding behavior.  I definitely think it would in a game like Eve even more so than most "linear" games.  After all you can really just pay a leveling service and get WoW endgame Warrior clone #1225643 easy enough.

  • Posted: 5/08/08 10:33 AM
    General Discussion