WhiteMonkey
12-19-2005, 07:16 PM
Did anybody else participate?
Here's what I thought of how the game's shaping up.
What I liked
1) The game offers a player (or group) a specific quest, instead of wandering the woods killing random stuff.
2) Each quest sends the player (or group) to a dungeon. These dungeons load up each time a player or group enters them. ONLY THE GROUP IS IN THE DUNGEON. You don't have to compete with 500 other players for kills or wait for quest monsters to spawn.
6) Quests are given a CR.
7) Group max is 6 players.
8) All Core classes and races are represented.
9) Weapons, armor and damage are handled much as in DnD 3.5 table top. When attacking you even see a D20 rolling a random #. Sucks though when you attack 5 times and never get over a 5. Heh.
10) I was surprised to find that this was a 'city' adventure. That may change at higher levels though. I didn't get to level 2.
11) When you drop under 0HP you have a chance to stabilize (cool, but useless without a group).
12) No death debt. I suppose they feel it's punishment enough being sent back to the tavern and having to wait through 2 load-screens and do the whole thing over again. They are correct.
13) Thanks for the class specific training dungeons.
What I didn't like.
1) Your character is certainly railroaded. It's maddening to watch your character behave in a most gullible manor. (Though occasionally it's lol silly)
2) Choosing an alignment is almost a moot point. Except for the occasional discerning NPC who won't help you if your alignment is incompatible, there's no game mechanic that seems to make any real difference that I noticed.
3) Your quest is my quest too! Seriously, it's the EXACT same thing. And you're an Evil Rogue but I'm an NG Fighter. (It's still being Beta-Tested so this may change?)
4) Lag. Especially in taverns (and sometimes in the town). If this is what a 'stress test' grades, then I give it a C-. Sometimes an F+. I turned it off on Friday night in a huff when it finally just got too bad.
5) Why do I re-spawn in this damn Lag riddled Tavern? Wouldn't it make sense to have me re-spawn at say, a temple or something? Just what is that Cleric doing here? Who the hell does he worship that his post is a Tavern and not a Temple?
6) 'Quest giving' NPC's are hard to get close enough to to talk with sometimes. I should be able to click the 'icon' over his head and not have to pick his rotten face out from between the thousands of Player Characters massed around him. Clicking on the backs of PC's heads by accident is maddening.
7) I liked the 'city' setting but if that doesn't change it'll get stale fast.
Some Other Points of Interest.
The combat system is more involved than what the old Everquest was. Sorry that's the last MORPG that I've played. Here you actually have to maneuver and block attacks manually.
Combat is much faster paced and can occasionally be hard to mash the right button to get the 'feat' or action you were looking for.
It's not round based like the table top game or the old Final Fantasy games. You go as much and as hard as you can.
I liked it, but I can see that a lot of people might not. Also kids with faster reflexes and billions of hours mastering 'keyboard and mouse' fighting will have an edge over old sh!ts like me. Groups may get honked if you're inept at this combat system.
So, overall I thought it was fun. Weather it's worth $15 a month plus the cost of the game? Well, maybe the final version will be but not yet. Somehow it's missing that thing that gives it a special oompf.
Here's what I thought of how the game's shaping up.
What I liked
1) The game offers a player (or group) a specific quest, instead of wandering the woods killing random stuff.
2) Each quest sends the player (or group) to a dungeon. These dungeons load up each time a player or group enters them. ONLY THE GROUP IS IN THE DUNGEON. You don't have to compete with 500 other players for kills or wait for quest monsters to spawn.
6) Quests are given a CR.
7) Group max is 6 players.
8) All Core classes and races are represented.
9) Weapons, armor and damage are handled much as in DnD 3.5 table top. When attacking you even see a D20 rolling a random #. Sucks though when you attack 5 times and never get over a 5. Heh.
10) I was surprised to find that this was a 'city' adventure. That may change at higher levels though. I didn't get to level 2.
11) When you drop under 0HP you have a chance to stabilize (cool, but useless without a group).
12) No death debt. I suppose they feel it's punishment enough being sent back to the tavern and having to wait through 2 load-screens and do the whole thing over again. They are correct.
13) Thanks for the class specific training dungeons.
What I didn't like.
1) Your character is certainly railroaded. It's maddening to watch your character behave in a most gullible manor. (Though occasionally it's lol silly)
2) Choosing an alignment is almost a moot point. Except for the occasional discerning NPC who won't help you if your alignment is incompatible, there's no game mechanic that seems to make any real difference that I noticed.
3) Your quest is my quest too! Seriously, it's the EXACT same thing. And you're an Evil Rogue but I'm an NG Fighter. (It's still being Beta-Tested so this may change?)
4) Lag. Especially in taverns (and sometimes in the town). If this is what a 'stress test' grades, then I give it a C-. Sometimes an F+. I turned it off on Friday night in a huff when it finally just got too bad.
5) Why do I re-spawn in this damn Lag riddled Tavern? Wouldn't it make sense to have me re-spawn at say, a temple or something? Just what is that Cleric doing here? Who the hell does he worship that his post is a Tavern and not a Temple?
6) 'Quest giving' NPC's are hard to get close enough to to talk with sometimes. I should be able to click the 'icon' over his head and not have to pick his rotten face out from between the thousands of Player Characters massed around him. Clicking on the backs of PC's heads by accident is maddening.
7) I liked the 'city' setting but if that doesn't change it'll get stale fast.
Some Other Points of Interest.
The combat system is more involved than what the old Everquest was. Sorry that's the last MORPG that I've played. Here you actually have to maneuver and block attacks manually.
Combat is much faster paced and can occasionally be hard to mash the right button to get the 'feat' or action you were looking for.
It's not round based like the table top game or the old Final Fantasy games. You go as much and as hard as you can.
I liked it, but I can see that a lot of people might not. Also kids with faster reflexes and billions of hours mastering 'keyboard and mouse' fighting will have an edge over old sh!ts like me. Groups may get honked if you're inept at this combat system.
So, overall I thought it was fun. Weather it's worth $15 a month plus the cost of the game? Well, maybe the final version will be but not yet. Somehow it's missing that thing that gives it a special oompf.