Profile: mahierl2005
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• • Another boring review.. but at least I am neutral.

  • My experience with mmo's, and reviewing them on these forum, is extensive. I have played every MMO officially released in North America. Everything from EQ and WoW to RFO and Dungeon Runners. Go figure. I wasn't really interested in writing a review of this game until I saw all the absolute garbage coming out of peoples mouths. Like the guy who wrote a review of WAR before me who said the graphics are 10x better than WoW lol... ok comeon, clearly you know nothing about graphics. Not that I'm a wow fanboi, Im not, but these types of things aggravated me, so I'm going to spare you the fluff and give you the real goods.

    First of all, some people have said, like the previous poster, that quests are unique and fun!!! They arent. Kill 6 of these or 5 of those or take this here. Its pretty standard. Do I think its bad? No. Innovative? HELL no. Some people also said the PvE is lacking... OK, I suppose if the game was billed as WoW2 the second coming then sure, but it wasn't, and it never was. Everyone has known all along it was a RVR / PvP centric game with a splash of PvE. In my opinion, thats exactly what it is.

    The combat.. here we go. Not a lot lately actually has been said about this. I'm kind of surprised. Combat is definately a bit on the slow side... IF.. and this is a big IF.. you are comparing it to wow, or other faster paced games. There will be no Warlocks tossing 4 DOTS on you plus a fear and a seed within the first 3 seconds. Sorry, not happening. However, I dont think it is nearly as slow as some people are making it out to be. I think it is definately a bit more REALISTIC than most WoW clones' combat tends to be, but whether you like that or not is a matter of taste. I play a game to get out of the real world, not to compare its combat to real world mechanics. All in all, the combat is OK. Whether it will hold peoples attention longer than a month or 2, we'll have to see.

    Graphics... I notice more than anything else this getting debated here lol. Some swear they are better than WoW or EQ2 or some even said better than AoC. Lets get something straight right now you graphic nuts. This games graphics are HORRIBLE... when compared to what they SHOULD have been able to do. However that said, they definately dont make the game unplayable. As a matter of fact, the graphics in this game dont really seem to add or detract from the gameplay one bit. Why? I cannot say for certain, but I'm sure some of you have some ideas. Being fair to the game, I would say the graphics are about what I expected. In the later part of the game, many many people will be on screen at once, actions calculated on the fly, etc... the graphics needed to be toned down. I understand that, and so should you guys, otherwise you need to play another game of AV with all ally and horde in drek's room at once throwing all spells out with high spell detail.. then you can come complain about how your heal went off in time you know it did!!!! hahahaa. It doesnt work. The technology just isnt here yet. Well, it is, but its not cost effective. But those of you saying its better than WoW's graphics.. cmon man, get a life.. anyone looking at a screenshot of the 2 will tell you that your a moron. Especially with WoW's new engine coming in the expansion (which before once again I am told I am a fanboi, I will tell you I am not even buying). Its not that the graphics were bad.. they were as expected. And all of us know that we were all worried about the graphics when the NDA was still up.. and all the usual excuses got thrown out there. Truth is, this was one area that was exactly as advertised, and exactly as we thought.. mediocre, but not horrible, and for the same reasons we thought they would be. Thats the facts, deal with it and stop lying to people. Lying on these forums about graphics is not going to get you more subscribers or people to play with.. It'll get a few more ppl to buy the game, and then come here and dog it when they realize they were lied to.

    Now, on to more important things....

    Its a wow clone. You bet your arse it is. And in my opinion thats GREAT.. they did a very good job with it.  The mini map is improved, the maps labeled better, quests clearly marked, and the leveling a tad slower. Wow clone? sure. Bad thing? no way. It works people. Get over it. Fords and Chevys and even Lamborghinis, last time I looked, all have 4 wheels an engine and a tranny... are they all clones? hmmm not so much, now are they? If you think they are, I'll gladly trade my camaro for your lamborghini gellado anyday. Just send me a PM... God I hate ignorant people who think that just because something is alike its a ripoff or a bad thing.

    The "battlegrounds", otherwise known as scenarios in WAR are... somewhat lacking, in my opinion. Although I give WAR praise for better than expected questing, gameplay, and mechanics, the little RvR scenarios that I have been able to try so far really dont grip me as anything more than AB all over again. hold this point, grab the other one, and 10 seconds later poof you score points. It doesn't really make.. sense. I loved the scenario itself, or I should say, the concept of it, and hopefully higher tiers will get better, but the first 2 did nothing for me. For example Khaine's scenario, the first one you can do. Very weak IMHO.. fun , yes, but weak nonetheless. The map is TINY.. I mean you could literally run all the way across it in .. .20 seconds or less. Give or take. There just isnt much substance to it. Its like going to a Subway and seeing all those topping and yummy meats and breads, and then realizing you only put like 4 things on your sub? yeah. U get my point. Theres just not that much to it.. its waaaaay too simple. At least AB or AV had 5+ major capture points.. but cmon, TWO????? 2???? thats the best we could do? Oh well, at least the PvP itself was fun.

    All in all I'm going to give this one to EA/Mythic. It was and still is the cleanest release I have seen (and I have been part of them all). Nothing I have run into is groundbreaking however. It's all pretty standard fair. It is a clean, polished, all inclusive game. Is it next gen? hell no. Was it billed as such? Nope. The posters here tried to make it out as such. Thats not EA's or Mythics fault. A lot of people said they wanted a clean complete mmorpg that just delivered what it said it would, and played well. Well, WAR gives you that. What they said would be there is there, and in the manner in which it was said it would be presented. One of the few times I think that a developer actually delivered on what  they said they would. Congrats for that. On the whole, I'm not sure how long the RvR, however, will be able to hold its audiences. Whereas games like WoW were doing relatively fine through its first expansion (with some people still begging for classic pre BC servers), I think it could be a huge make or break for WAR. Or maybe even the first major content patch. Crafting is limited to completely worthless, questing will only get you so far, the classes are pretty much equal on both sides as far as mechanics, unlike the uniqueness that wow had with shaman and palys when it first released. But content is limited in the long term here. I saw a few people sying there was TONS TO DO!! I COULD NEVER GET BORED!!!! True. But EQ and WoW were the same way. OMG I am lvl 5, time to go to town, explore! quest! get my professions!! omg how will i ever level herbalism at this rate lolzorz!!! OMG I want the enchants pst meh I have 3 silver!. Ok seriously.. it always seems like a lot in the beginning.. but we all know how that above scenario turned out. In the end, I think its a good game.. for a while. We'll see what kind of content updates we get, and what new systems and features get added in later. But for now, I think its as advertised, and you should play it for yourself. I'm playing it for now. How long? I have no idea. I would say anyone could get a few months out of it though if they give it a chance and enjoy PvP. After that, its a wait and see game. They did a great job with the release. Thats the big thing. The real question now though, is will they listen to the community and make the adjustments and advances i the game that make an MMO truely immersive? The Mythic part of me says they can do it and its gonna be a great ride. But the EA part.. dont get me started, they have the WORST customer service and developers of just about any company to date, and we all know it, which is why we were all pissed when we found out Mythic was erging with them for this title. Mythic seems to be however getting a lot of leadway, and if EA recognizes a good thing.. it'll stay that way. Thumbs up for now, but lots of improvements to go in the future.

     

    All you other people stop spreading lies...... It's not going to help others or yourself.

  • Posted: 9/22/08 7:25 PM
    WAR (Warhammer Online)
• • Most Popular WAR Launch Day Subject Titles

  • WTB port IF pst.. will tip

  • Posted: 8/14/08 4:12 PM
    WAR (Warhammer Online)
• • AoC Release Vs WAR's release ..what are you watching out for.

  • Originally posted by octa
    

    I'll be looking at developer communication.  There will be the inevitable uproar from the community over something.  What I care about is how the company reacts to and handles it.

    I don't plan to join Warhammer until at least a month after launch anyway.  AoC just kicked me in the balls as far as launch expectations go.

    
     

    win. Although I wont be waiting until a month after (I dont like stating out behind hehe), I can totally agree with this. Conan really did a number on my psyche as far as future releases go. I mean lets be honest, the launch is everthing. Love it or hate it, all signs point to vanguard being a very well run, complete game... NOW.. but at release.. u get the point. Even so, I sit here staring at my Vanguard box... itching to reinstall for a month just for something to do, and yet I wont. Something stops me. Im guessing its my disappointment from the first time it filled up m hard drive. I will never look at MMO's the same after these 2 launches. But to answer the question as to things I will be looking for...

    1. Deliver your core goals and elements. I dont care that osme things were remove, none of it was gamebreaking for me. What I do care about, however, and to some extent expect even more out of now, if what they are leaving IN. You gotta take certain things out in order to focus on other things? fine. But prove to me that it was to my benefit.

    2. Active Mythic community. In wow and other such games, getting a question or problem resolved is usually a click away. I expect to get that same experience if I have problems here.

    3. Be prepared, and show me that you have learned SOMETHING from all these horrible releases. They say release was pushed back a million times de to wanting to be prepared. Prove it. Dont make the same stupid mistakes at launch that all of us know can be prevented. Dont make me suffer through the exact same things all over again. Cars have 4 wheels, mirrors, and headlights. dont try to make them fly too. Do what you do, and do it well, while learning from others mistakes along the way.

    4. Dont try to become something you arent. After launch I will be looking for this. do they stay true to the game, or do they do what everyone wants just to get more subs? This is the one thing I hate about WoW.. as far as Im concerned arenas damn near killed the game.

     

    I digress.. but thats what I'm looking for.

  • Posted: 8/14/08 3:36 PM
    Age of Conan
• • Erling's feet held to the fire

  • To be completey honest... I wanted this game to suceed more than anything else in this world the last year or so. New. Fresh. Innovative. I was left, however, with a sour taste in my mouth the second that people started exploiting on day 1, and nothing was done. Soon after I reached lvl 50 and realized there was nothing but empty content. I had run out of quests, grinding became the norm, etc. I can totally understand end game not being ready at launch. Honestly, I can. But when the middle portions of the game arent complete, there is a serious problem.

    Soon after this, I started a guild to find more people to play with. Got up to over 100 people. Got our guild city plot locked in.. one of the nicest ones in the entire game, to boot, as far as location is concerned. Then I realized, and this was my fault, that the guild city sieges were removed from the game months before. OK, I can deal with that. My bad, I'll move on. Here was the kicker...

    We go to build our keep, and ***POOF*** all our mats, recipes, everything , vanish.. and.. no keep. For WEEKS and WEEKS I try as the GM to get my mats back... to give my guild SOMETHING to look forward to... something for all the hard work they put in.. and nothing. I mean seriously..... the most original and integral part of the guild system in this game (which is horrible to deal with if your a GM let me tell you) and it doesnt even work right...

    Needless to say soon after that incident getting people to help farm levels, professions, etc, were all pointless. Why? Funcom would just make another error and take away our hard work, and not even bother replying to our cries for help.

    I can deal with a game in an incomplete state. Anyone who thinks a game is released 100% ready is dillusional... but for God's sake.. at least have the core mechanics of your game in order. And at the very least if that fails have a way to track these things and get the mats back to these people. I know guilds who lost EVERYTHING because of this happening to them...

    2 full years, waiting patiently ever single day... collecting all of the pre order rewards, keeping up with all the stories and hype.. and yet nothing. I feel betrayed, scammed, and a little bit confused. I know one thing.. Funcom , in my eyes at least, are finished. I personally will never support this company again, and I dont care if they come out with the next best thing to peanut butter! They will never see my subscription $$$.

  • Posted: 8/14/08 1:09 PM
    Age of Conan
• • Is it for me? Experienced gamer looking for some advice.

  • Thank you very much veryone for your honext opinions. I'll have to look into this a little more and give it some thought. I am, as someone said, a little concerned about the size of the development team, and the rate at which I can get through content. I'm looking to play a game longer than 6 months, and I'm not sure if this game is going to be able to deliver that for me yet. However, you all provided some great information and it is greatly appreciated.

  • Posted: 8/14/08 11:20 AM
    Vanguard: Saga of Heroes