Crazy ride is a tremendous understatement for me. I was one of those people that had waited for 4-5 years for Darkfall before it finally launched this year, I was also one of the few thousand of people that got to beta test the game for a month and I was one of the first few thousand that was in the game on launch day.
My journey with Darkfall has been such a roller coaster for so many years that it is without a doubt the game that has had the biggest impact on my life ever.
I stopped playing Darkfall about 3 months after the launch but the thing is beta and the first 2 months after launch I played the best game I have ever played and I have been a gamer for over 10 years and played hundreds of games and dozens of mmos in my time and nothing has ever come even close to the pure joy of playing Darkfall. But as great as Darkfall was as suddenly it died right at my feet.
The first 2 months of Darkfall was all about rushing to gather resources, claiming a city, sending out raiding parties and fighting of raiding parties. The game felt incredibly dynamic and with so much promise of what was to come but it turned out that once that we conquered that first mountain there was no lush valley behind it but just an empty desert and that was one of the most devastating experiences of my gaming carer.
I guess I should have seen it coming and in the end it comes down to that it was an unfinished title developed by a team that while they had the heart didn't really have the muscle to finish a project of this size. Maybe one day Darkfall will be a finished title but for now I am still licking my wounds.
Problem is it is easy to describe a MMOG as interesting and give it a number 1 slot on that basis. It is another thing to pay hard earned cash for a game, invest a lot of time in it and end up being shafted because the product is effectively being miss sold.
Darkfall is interesting, I do like the author applaud their efforts but I can't really condone ignoring consumer law...
You can't call Darkfall a "sandbox" game. Sandbox games give you the option of any playstyle and character skillset you wish, with each having a viable role in the game. That situation doesn't exist in Darkfall.
Darkfall is in reality a class based game, with only one viable class. That one class is the melee/archer/magic class. If you don't train all three, then those that have trained them have a huge advantage over you. There is no choice in the matter.
I had followed Darkfall since October 2002, and I wanted it to be the one game that I can finally be happy with for a long time. They created a huge world with a widely varied landscape and excellent details. They created decent character models - not the best, but ones I could be happy with. The city building and siege systems were good.
The two things they failed to provide, and these are absolutely key to a pvp mmo game - 1) a decent combat system, and 2) a decent skill tree. If they had spent half the time they devoted to crafting a beautiful world into working out those two things, Darkfall would have been pure win.
What a joke. Why dont you stop the charade and just declare this the darkfall #1 fansite? Seriously, the game is a niche game with a very small following. Most gamers outside this site have never even heard of the game and those that visit this site wouldnt have either if you didnt insist on plastering crap about it on the front page on a daily basis.
It was still the most interesting of all of the games. I don't suppose you actually took the time to read the description and the rationale behind the choice before flying off the handle? If you didn't, then shame on you and I suggest you go re-read it and see f you still feel it's fanish. If you did, then I just don't know what to say... I wouldn't call what was said overly positive.
Wood clearly describe it very objectively with open mind, why Darkfall is number 1 intresting game of 2009, but for trolls-haters nomatter how hard you try, when give an opinion thats clearly not from a rabbit fanboi but an open objective observation they just keep bashing it they dont care what others say in there mind even tho they never played it Darkfall is crap in there limited mind, pitty so many are narrow minded:(
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009..... In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
Again so many failing to undertsand why wood choose Darkfall as most intresting mmo of 2009 as i read many replys they wanne see a themeaprk at number one spot they all hate games like darkfall its not posible its an intresting mmo no they just hate it.
And for those who have follow it for so long and come up with arguements like this or that is not what i thought Darkfall would be pls GO BACK TO UO Darkfall dont need you BYE:p
1 small independed company makes a free for all pvp with full loot nobody force to played and you have hundreds of carebear games and still they hope this ONE SANDBOX FREE FOR ALL GAME FAILS this is BEYOND ME?
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009..... In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
What a joke. Why dont you stop the charade and just declare this the darkfall #1 fansite? Seriously, the game is a niche game with a very small following. Most gamers outside this site have never even heard of the game and those that visit this site wouldnt have either if you didnt insist on plastering crap about it on the front page on a daily basis.
It was still the most interesting of all of the games. I don't suppose you actually took the time to read the description and the rationale behind the choice before flying off the handle? If you didn't, then shame on you and I suggest you go re-read it and see f you still feel it's fanish. If you did, then I just don't know what to say... I wouldn't call what was said overly positive.
it was only interesting cause of the garbage community and the fact that the game was in developement for ages... and now its released its laughable that they delivered a game that isnt all that special, and received negative reviews when it came out.
Oh yea darkfall is crap but game like Aion, WAR, Runes of Magic, etc are the best games ever! :rolleyes:
Darkfall does somethings right and some things wrong. All that matters is this. The game is out and even though some people say the game is utter shit, it did prove that you can make profit off of a sandbox game even one that is medicore (I don't think its all that bad. it needs more fluff and its getting it. Then again all I care about in a game is PvP). You can love or hate the game, but that much is true.
Now I'm looking forward to MO, but the way that beta is going sigh
he i wouldnt say anything yet : ) *cough* wait for massivelod to be in
I honestly think dana is sleeping with one of the dev's from darkfall because there's no way in hell I'd rate that game so high on the list.
I'd say Darkfall is right next to Roma Victor... on the most hyped biggest poopers list.
It's got I SUCK AT DEVELOPING GAMES written all over it. The UI, the BUGS, the HACKS, the crappy character development. They failed at everything. They even managed to make FPS a neutral addition by making AOE spells the only thing people really use in PVP (how hard is it to hit someone with a rocket launcher in a fps that you can cast 5 times before reloading?).
If your soul purpose in a game is to watch a bar go across the screen 24/7(archery, magery, harvesting) then by all Darkfall should be #1.
Dana should be fired for posting this.
The only reason Darkfall is still in business is because they blatantly lie on their site about the attributes of their product and then sell it for 50 bucks with no refund policy.
I am not surprised by DF's #1 spot as the most interesting and I agree with that choice as well. I was in its beta for a while and also gave it a good try at launch (half my guild made it in the first 2 weeks post launch.
Being original UO players, we were very very interested by the Features and what DF's fan made hype let out. Unfortunately the game ended up being half cooked, while most of the PvP aspects and excitement was there, in the beginning...it quickly became sour because of how people play games today, but also because how many elements are designed in to the game.
The adventure in the Dangerous Wilderness feeling got stomped by the exploitation of some mechanics, and the flawless execution of others. There was no more Dangerous Wilderness to be found, there is no wilderness in Darkfall, there is only a battlefield.
The moment you step outside a Town (player or not), it is a Battlefield. Hence, the game loses the quality of Danger, and becomes a Frag fest at the same level of any other FPS game out there, there is no Adventure Factor. And I prefer the true FPS game, because at least there we do not have to harvest resources or Kill AI for Gold in order to get the weapons to fight in it.
In ether case, would not want to make this a review about DF. All in all I agree with it being #1 in the interest scale. And happy also about the other 4 games of the list, I will certainly be giving a closer look to these.
Thanks
- Duke Suraknar - Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
"...Frogster claims that they've hit one million registered users in North American and Europe, and I can understand why.”
This is one ridiculous point of view. Claim or not claim, u should play a bit more and get more experienced with game. There is NO million registered users. There is above 100k-200k users and - 900k alts. Yes, every high lvl players have above 20 acc, I know players that have 40+ acc. I'm one of them. Geezzz...
As ROM stands as competitor to AAA MMORPG games... Yes, it can stand. But reach end game, you will see how worst game can be made. And it's still in beta. Believe or not.
Is this what the MMOG following has become? A constant flame war? The majority of you are creating malicious, uneducated propaganda around Darkfall without having any expirience with it. I have been following Darkfall since 2006 and it has become clear that most of the people that dropped the game became bitter and have made it their agenda, not to mention the many who have been blind sighted by an industry and have never seen the log in screen.
It is pathetic.
Despite problems surrounding the implementation of features and other issues the game is unique and to the right audience a favourite. Shame on you for preaching hate, blinded you are all so that you forget each has his own taste. Few of you realise how difficult it is to make something this big with limited funding and staff, and in your bitterness you spin stories to redeem your bruised ego.
So stop it. Darkfall deserves more respect then the industry has given, or in the least objectivity.
Comments
Crazy ride is a tremendous understatement for me. I was one of those people that had waited for 4-5 years for Darkfall before it finally launched this year, I was also one of the few thousand of people that got to beta test the game for a month and I was one of the first few thousand that was in the game on launch day.
My journey with Darkfall has been such a roller coaster for so many years that it is without a doubt the game that has had the biggest impact on my life ever.
I stopped playing Darkfall about 3 months after the launch but the thing is beta and the first 2 months after launch I played the best game I have ever played and I have been a gamer for over 10 years and played hundreds of games and dozens of mmos in my time and nothing has ever come even close to the pure joy of playing Darkfall.
But as great as Darkfall was as suddenly it died right at my feet.
The first 2 months of Darkfall was all about rushing to gather resources, claiming a city, sending out raiding parties and fighting of raiding parties. The game felt incredibly dynamic and with so much promise of what was to come but it turned out that once that we conquered that first mountain there was no lush valley behind it but just an empty desert and that was one of the most devastating experiences of my gaming carer.
I guess I should have seen it coming and in the end it comes down to that it was an unfinished title developed by a team that while they had the heart didn't really have the muscle to finish a project of this size. Maybe one day Darkfall will be a finished title but for now I am still licking my wounds.
Problem is it is easy to describe a MMOG as interesting and give it a number 1 slot on that basis. It is another thing to pay hard earned cash for a game, invest a lot of time in it and end up being shafted because the product is effectively being miss sold.
Darkfall is interesting, I do like the author applaud their efforts but I can't really condone ignoring consumer law...
Caveat Emptor
You can't call Darkfall a "sandbox" game. Sandbox games give you the option of any playstyle and character skillset you wish, with each having a viable role in the game. That situation doesn't exist in Darkfall.
Darkfall is in reality a class based game, with only one viable class. That one class is the melee/archer/magic class. If you don't train all three, then those that have trained them have a huge advantage over you. There is no choice in the matter.
I had followed Darkfall since October 2002, and I wanted it to be the one game that I can finally be happy with for a long time. They created a huge world with a widely varied landscape and excellent details. They created decent character models - not the best, but ones I could be happy with. The city building and siege systems were good.
The two things they failed to provide, and these are absolutely key to a pvp mmo game - 1) a decent combat system, and 2) a decent skill tree. If they had spent half the time they devoted to crafting a beautiful world into working out those two things, Darkfall would have been pure win.
It was still the most interesting of all of the games. I don't suppose you actually took the time to read the description and the rationale behind the choice before flying off the handle? If you didn't, then shame on you and I suggest you go re-read it and see f you still feel it's fanish. If you did, then I just don't know what to say... I wouldn't call what was said overly positive.
Wood clearly describe it very objectively with open mind, why Darkfall is number 1 intresting game of 2009, but for trolls-haters nomatter how hard you try, when give an opinion thats clearly not from a rabbit fanboi but an open objective observation they just keep bashing it they dont care what others say in there mind even tho they never played it Darkfall is crap in there limited mind, pitty so many are narrow minded:(
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009.....
In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
Again so many failing to undertsand why wood choose Darkfall as most intresting mmo of 2009 as i read many replys they wanne see a themeaprk at number one spot they all hate games like darkfall its not posible its an intresting mmo no they just hate it.
And for those who have follow it for so long and come up with arguements like this or that is not what i thought Darkfall would be pls GO BACK TO UO Darkfall dont need you BYE:p
1 small independed company makes a free for all pvp with full loot nobody force to played and you have hundreds of carebear games and still they hope this ONE SANDBOX FREE FOR ALL GAME FAILS this is BEYOND ME?
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009.....
In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
It was still the most interesting of all of the games. I don't suppose you actually took the time to read the description and the rationale behind the choice before flying off the handle? If you didn't, then shame on you and I suggest you go re-read it and see f you still feel it's fanish. If you did, then I just don't know what to say... I wouldn't call what was said overly positive.
it was only interesting cause of the garbage community and the fact that the game was in developement for ages... and now its released its laughable that they delivered a game that isnt all that special, and received negative reviews when it came out.
Oh yea darkfall is crap but game like Aion, WAR, Runes of Magic, etc are the best games ever! :rolleyes:
Darkfall does somethings right and some things wrong. All that matters is this. The game is out and even though some people say the game is utter shit, it did prove that you can make profit off of a sandbox game even one that is medicore (I don't think its all that bad. it needs more fluff and its getting it. Then again all I care about in a game is PvP). You can love or hate the game, but that much is true.
Now I'm looking forward to MO, but the way that beta is going sigh
he i wouldnt say anything yet : ) *cough* wait for massivelod to be in
I honestly think dana is sleeping with one of the dev's from darkfall because there's no way in hell I'd rate that game so high on the list.
I'd say Darkfall is right next to Roma Victor... on the most hyped biggest poopers list.
It's got I SUCK AT DEVELOPING GAMES written all over it. The UI, the BUGS, the HACKS, the crappy character development. They failed at everything. They even managed to make FPS a neutral addition by making AOE spells the only thing people really use in PVP (how hard is it to hit someone with a rocket launcher in a fps that you can cast 5 times before reloading?).
If your soul purpose in a game is to watch a bar go across the screen 24/7(archery, magery, harvesting) then by all Darkfall should be #1.
Dana should be fired for posting this.
The only reason Darkfall is still in business is because they blatantly lie on their site about the attributes of their product and then sell it for 50 bucks with no refund policy.
Very Interesting Article.
I am not surprised by DF's #1 spot as the most interesting and I agree with that choice as well. I was in its beta for a while and also gave it a good try at launch (half my guild made it in the first 2 weeks post launch.
Being original UO players, we were very very interested by the Features and what DF's fan made hype let out. Unfortunately the game ended up being half cooked, while most of the PvP aspects and excitement was there, in the beginning...it quickly became sour because of how people play games today, but also because how many elements are designed in to the game.
The adventure in the Dangerous Wilderness feeling got stomped by the exploitation of some mechanics, and the flawless execution of others. There was no more Dangerous Wilderness to be found, there is no wilderness in Darkfall, there is only a battlefield.
The moment you step outside a Town (player or not), it is a Battlefield. Hence, the game loses the quality of Danger, and becomes a Frag fest at the same level of any other FPS game out there, there is no Adventure Factor. And I prefer the true FPS game, because at least there we do not have to harvest resources or Kill AI for Gold in order to get the weapons to fight in it.
In ether case, would not want to make this a review about DF. All in all I agree with it being #1 in the interest scale. And happy also about the other 4 games of the list, I will certainly be giving a closer look to these.
Thanks
Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
"...Frogster claims that they've hit one million registered users in North American and Europe, and I can understand why.”
This is one ridiculous point of view. Claim or not claim, u should play a bit more and get more experienced with game. There is NO million registered users. There is above 100k-200k users and - 900k alts. Yes, every high lvl players have above 20 acc, I know players that have 40+ acc. I'm one of them. Geezzz...
As ROM stands as competitor to AAA MMORPG games... Yes, it can stand. But reach end game, you will see how worst game can be made. And it's still in beta. Believe or not.
Putting a bug ridden unbalanced and empty pile of crap as #1 interesting launch of 2009 is just hilarious.
Respect, walk
Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?
- PANTERA at HELLFEST 2023
Is this what the MMOG following has become? A constant flame war? The majority of you are creating malicious, uneducated propaganda around Darkfall without having any expirience with it. I have been following Darkfall since 2006 and it has become clear that most of the people that dropped the game became bitter and have made it their agenda, not to mention the many who have been blind sighted by an industry and have never seen the log in screen.
It is pathetic.
Despite problems surrounding the implementation of features and other issues the game is unique and to the right audience a favourite. Shame on you for preaching hate, blinded you are all so that you forget each has his own taste. Few of you realise how difficult it is to make something this big with limited funding and staff, and in your bitterness you spin stories to redeem your bruised ego.
So stop it. Darkfall deserves more respect then the industry has given, or in the least objectivity.