I never said the game didn't have original and good ideas or didn't have differences from today's mmos. If i thought that way i wouldn't be waiting for it along with gw2. I only said that it looks more and more similiar to those traditional systems as we get closer to launch. I think it's gonna be a good game nonetheless but i suspect they are making it seem more open-ended than it actually is and i'd like it to be less structured on those topics i mentioned. Otherwise questing and content etc. sounds amazing.
Oh and the payment model is disgusting. Yes i'm looking forward to it but don't know if i'll purchase it because of the model. I'll just wait and see how it will unfold. They should go either p2p or freemium or f2p.
Then you have set yourself for a dissapointment. Nothing has changed from the vision of the developers had on the game until now. Anything else is hype from media or players.
Sorry but there wasn't any ranks on skills before and no mention of skulls on mobs or anything. Also they didn't emphasize the holy trinity setup before. Some things change, it is expected, the thing is how they make it seem and it seemed more open-ended. That's it.
If you are really interested you can go to http://www.darkdemonscrygaia.com/showthread.php?t=24894 and read explanations and discussion about the skill system, and see how it doesn't change anything else than making you not be able to use the best weapon of a weapon type when you start putting your ability points into that weapon type. There are not any ranks on skills.
They have said there would be some way to get an indication on how powerful your enemy is, this was said in a developer diary many months back (think it was the one about dungeons), so it should not be a surprise.
Do you think after such a short play session that they would be able to dvelve into the synergies in the ability wheel? Most previewers play what they know so it doesn't become too complicated, but for example the guy at ZAM tried a hybrid (even tho it was only a healer/healer hybrid):
Throughout all of these encounters, while most press members took up the role of DPSing with Assault Rifles or Elementalist magic, I was given the opportunity to try out healing with my newly constructed Rifle / Blood Magic healer build. Healing in TSW is a rather interesting departure from normal healing, as I needed to build weapon resources (think combo points) by attacking the enemy before I could throw out a heal. Rifle healers seem to be entirely focused on giving lifesteal (called leech) buffs to teammates, while Blood healers are more focused on shielding players and preventing damage. The last healing weapon, Fists, was unfortunately disabled for this event, but I suspect I may pursue the art of punch-healing on launch day.
Hey thanks, i'll check it out. It's very probable i missed somethings.
".......Healing in TSW is a rather interesting departure from normal healing, as I needed to build weapon resources (think combo points) by attacking the enemy before I could throw out a heal. Rifle healers seem to be entirely focused on giving lifesteal (called leech) buffs to teammates, ....."
That concept sounds a bit like "Chloro Mage" healing in Rift. Healing through DeBuffs that transfer DPS done back to the party as health.
Here is Funcom's MO: Launch with tons of bugs/exploits, lose most of the subs in the first couple months, fix the game a couple years later when nobody cares and pops are dead.
Enjoy the ride kids, already been on this one twice.
The game looks more like a traditional mmo as it gets closer to launch. I mean how can you say it is levelless when you have "skulls" for mob difficulty and you are filling bars while killing mobs to purchase ranks of abilities/skills(i.e. Grind) as you vertically progress through content/maps? And how is it so free in building one's character when you need solid holy trinity design to be successful at content?
You realize UO, the holy grail of sandboxes and the game everyone complaining about themeparks pray to each night, also had skill You leveled? By repeating combat?
How else do You think there can be any progression, which is integral part of MMORPG genre?
Holy Trinity or variation of it are also part of RPGs since the beggining of genre. You always had someone who takes hits, someone who dishes out the pain, and someone to keep the merry group more less alive. The thing is, with mdoern MMOs (GW2, TSW) developers move away from set in stone roles for character classes and allow more freedom, mixing the 3 archetypes here and there., allowing players to not be viable for one and only one role.
Here is Funcom's MO: Launch with tons of bugs/exploits, lose most of the subs in the first couple months, fix the game a couple years later when nobody cares and pops are dead.
Enjoy the ride kids, already been on this one twice.
By "fix" do you mean put in a minimal amount of work to get it working to a buggy but barely functioning level never to be looked at again?
Hmm, was hoping they would go all out like the GW2 press beta. I cannot seem to find videos on the game besides the one a poster linked above. Oh well, just will wait on my beta invite.
same. but it makes sense the way they are doing it. they are not or were not happy with the game has looked so far. (namely the horrid looking character models) i would hide those til they were sorted out as well. plus when open beta starts there will be enough videos to go around.
The genre needs an mmo like this. Bout time too. Cant wait!
I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means - except by getting off his back.
I want to see how the game plays, not just read an optimistic fluff piece. I mean, I understand why preview articles are always like that, and I'm not knocking it. Just wondering why I'm not seeing any new videos. Gamespy just did a piece too - also without footage of any kind.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
I want to see how the game plays, not just read an optimistic fluff piece. I mean, I understand why preview articles are always like that, and I'm not knocking it. Just wondering why I'm not seeing any new videos. Gamespy just did a piece too - also without footage of any kind.
Probubly something in the NDA, makes sense. most MMO's dont allow people to see videos of the game until they believed it poished enough.
TSW isnt trying to over-hype itself. when you hit that level of hype its almost impossible to live up to what your releasing. so they are content to let this live as a sleeper hit for now.
Because i can. I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out. Logic every gamers worst enemy.
After watching this german video I'm not really impressed by gameplay. But I know it will have awesome setting and storyline. I have faith in Tornquist. So I guess I might try it unless gw2 won't be released within 1 month.
- Cutscenes - I don't want to be "told a story" in a mmo, I want to be "in the story" - e.g. not the way SWTOR or MGS does it, but the way Skyrim, Witcher & HL2 do it (e.g. instead of watching a video, have npcs tell me stuff while i can still move about, look out the window whatever)
The worries
- compared to the recent GW2 info dump, why were these games sites not just allowed to play the thing and fraps whatever they liked? (OK they should censor any puzzle spoilers)
- PVP appears to be taking a backseat, originally this was looking a nice 50/50 game like GW2, now looking more of a WOW style PVE/PVP balance
- still dont really know about crafting / economy etc..
- while it looks considerably less "corridory" than SWTOR and a few other recent games, will it be open enough?
What has me worried is the "you needed to communicate alot in dungeons" part at the end there. I really hope they have some sort of integrated party voice chat so that we dont have to type to communicate. Know what I mean?
I really love the look of the game and everything. Gameplay and open sandbox style feels and sounds great. Love the art and direction. Unfortunately id have HUGE problems giving funcom another dime of my cash.
For all the fanboys, go check out the word "Funcom'd" - i think its actually landed in the urban dictionary now. YOUVE BEEN FUNCOM'D!
I spent a few years in Age of Conan and despite holding out time and again for huge improvements to the game...it just didnt get good enough quickly enough and eventually stagnated. I honestly think they pulled out a lot of their talent so they could work THIS game and essentially dumped more garbage onto the people currently supporting their company. Never felt right to me that a game people were trying to support and stay faithful to kept getting let down so that they could develop their "next" game....I wonder if they will do the same with TSW
Dont get me wrong... Conan did get better and I think rebounded from its terrible launch. It just didnt get as good as it should have. It also frightens me that the guy who turned Conan around ,Craig Morrison, has nothing to do with TSW and TSW is being headed by Tornquist - who ruined Conan at launch. If Morrison helmed TSW from the get go I woulda been more enthused.
The main thing for me though is the amount of promsies and utter failures on FC's part. If anyone here thinks TSW will be any different then boy are you misguided.
Simple things like: In Conan you could siege other player keeps. This was done via a scheduling database. The coding was so abhorrent that if your PC clock/region time was NOT based on USA timezone (ie, you were in australia) then you had to reset your PC clock to USA time in order to properly interact with the keep scheduler. For our aussie based guild this led to numerous occassions where our keep timer would suddenly be jerked out of our control and set to usa based times (until we discovered what the issue was). To top it off DESPITE being informed of this numerous times, the Devs NEVER, not once, made a fix to this.
That is just one of dozens of examples I can think of. So many SIMPLE and easily solved things went wrong with that game that they never fixed.
I have no faith in the coding ability of their team.
I also have no faith in their promises. I signed up months in advance for their beta access. My partner and I Paid for a one year pass to Funcom with the understanding that those who paid for that special pass would receive beta access. Not only that, but I put in a ton of effort as a class advocate for the game and relaying info between the player base and the devs. Short of being told outright "youll get into beta quick" the assumption was always there that my beta access was well assured.
To this date I never received a beta invite.
So funcom puts it in writing that "pay for this special one year game time and you get beta access" then lumps you in no farther ahead than the rest of the crowd. Yet another failure on their part to back up what they say. Plenty of honest people paid the extra dime up front for a spot in beta and never received it.
I also found it hilarious when they botched the launch of their Beta. Everyone played it down and said "everyone makes mistakes, just give em a chance..." Sorry, gave em a chance for years with Conan. Their failed beta launch was just error # 1 million in a long series of debacles.
You can lump me into a "your just sour you never received beta access" corner if youd like. It'd partially be true...but the principle of the matter is that I wouldnt trust Funcom to release and support a game farther than I can spit. Way too many failures with Conan, with even simple design flaws and bug fixes, way too many failed promises.
Those of you who play TSW will eventually learn why all of us who played Conan for years created the word "Funcom'd"
Ya know what id like? I'd like for just ONE of you bloody reviewers to get in their face about all their failures and ask them how they intend to avoid having the same issues with TSW that they did with Conan. Id love to see the responses.
But nah, we're all too politically correct these days, right?
Honestly to the people who dont communicate i dont think this game will attract them. most people who dont like to communicate they are there for the Slashy Slashy type game. the second the game tells them to investigate or Think they will likely unsub. the only problem i will see is, as you said, do we get voice system in the game. if not then it will likely come to Pre fight descriptions.
Honestly i completely understand the worries due to Funcom's track record. sadly this is the only game of its kind being released, im willing to take the risk on it. id rather not fall back into the annoying same old same old that every other game seems to be providing. at this point i dont care about their track record, if they botch it ill be the first to admit it. i acted the same way with SWTOR, before i was excited now i disect it for the good and the bad.
Because i can. I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out. Logic every gamers worst enemy.
*sighs* people use one source then don"t understand and think one source is display of something company or game related. First off for game play footage go to the preview article on games radar its not alot but its there and thats from only looking at a few articles on the page on sw's website. The animations are a little stiff but usually animations is worked on last in game development there is alot of times when people switch it up but thats for games that have no real mechanics and are just looking to attract people who think: ooo pretty" ala SWTOR. Gameplay and lore take precendence so they were worked on first.
In crafting they have talked about reverse engineering how it works basically is say I want to make a sword first I"ll have to take apart the sword and get what I think is best summarized as a plan. Now I can add boosters but to get the "plans" for the boosters I have to reverse engineer chakras (TSW's version of gear). Thats when I take everything and make a sword with the stats I want to incorporate. ZAM will have a follow up article where they will talk more about crafting in interviews. They keep comparing it to minecraft but I am not particularly sure in what sense they mean.
Nice. I like the puzzle quests and the difficulty level. Also, modern world, no elves or space scifi, refreshing.
FURYBlakhart, Tornquist is from the adventure games Longest Journey and Dreamfall, not AoC. Guy before Morrison was Gaute, he left shortly after launch.
Comments
Hey thanks, i'll check it out. It's very probable i missed somethings.
That concept sounds a bit like "Chloro Mage" healing in Rift. Healing through DeBuffs that transfer DPS done back to the party as health.
No problem, just glad to clear any misconceptions.
Here is Funcom's MO: Launch with tons of bugs/exploits, lose most of the subs in the first couple months, fix the game a couple years later when nobody cares and pops are dead.
Enjoy the ride kids, already been on this one twice.
This game look so promising.
There's not one video of the game I disliked.
Unlike alot of other game.. it's not so much over-hyped.
It might not be the game-of-the-year. But I need to try this.
Damn, this years... SO MANY GAMES.
You realize UO, the holy grail of sandboxes and the game everyone complaining about themeparks pray to each night, also had skill You leveled? By repeating combat?
How else do You think there can be any progression, which is integral part of MMORPG genre?
Holy Trinity or variation of it are also part of RPGs since the beggining of genre. You always had someone who takes hits, someone who dishes out the pain, and someone to keep the merry group more less alive. The thing is, with mdoern MMOs (GW2, TSW) developers move away from set in stone roles for character classes and allow more freedom, mixing the 3 archetypes here and there., allowing players to not be viable for one and only one role.
You even have the trinity in EVE to a degree.
it's not ready yet. also they will be at GDC march 3-4 so you can see some gameplay then.
I've got the straight edge.
By "fix" do you mean put in a minimal amount of work to get it working to a buggy but barely functioning level never to be looked at again?
Well, they have released gameplay videos from the Solomon island:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC4FFoG4n8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YB2Vnyp89A&feature=fvwrel
It's filmed with a camera so the quality is not great. This is from last summer btw, it's quite old by MMO standards.
Umm no.
same. but it makes sense the way they are doing it. they are not or were not happy with the game has looked so far. (namely the horrid looking character models) i would hide those til they were sorted out as well. plus when open beta starts there will be enough videos to go around.
I've got the straight edge.
For TSW previews and videos --> http://www.darkdemonscrygaia.com/showthread.php?t=24892
The genre needs an mmo like this. Bout time too. Cant wait!
I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means - except by getting off his back.
Sounds pretty cool, now waiting on beta
Are the press not allowed to post videos, though?
I want to see how the game plays, not just read an optimistic fluff piece. I mean, I understand why preview articles are always like that, and I'm not knocking it. Just wondering why I'm not seeing any new videos. Gamespy just did a piece too - also without footage of any kind.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
I feel sorry for those overlooking TSW. they are gonna miss out of something truly innovative.
Because i can.
I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
Logic every gamers worst enemy.
Probubly something in the NDA, makes sense. most MMO's dont allow people to see videos of the game until they believed it poished enough.
TSW isnt trying to over-hype itself. when you hit that level of hype its almost impossible to live up to what your releasing. so they are content to let this live as a sleeper hit for now.
Because i can.
I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
Logic every gamers worst enemy.
After watching this german video I'm not really impressed by gameplay. But I know it will have awesome setting and storyline. I have faith in Tornquist. So I guess I might try it unless gw2 won't be released within 1 month.
This game is going to be great. Been reading reviews/reports all day.
Tornquist is my man, rock solid stories, and boutiful executed
what i think having seen the recent videos
The good
- The UI, really good UI
- The whole skill system thing
- The more thinky PVE
- Most of the graphics
The Bad
- Those animations still look stiff
- Cutscenes - I don't want to be "told a story" in a mmo, I want to be "in the story" - e.g. not the way SWTOR or MGS does it, but the way Skyrim, Witcher & HL2 do it (e.g. instead of watching a video, have npcs tell me stuff while i can still move about, look out the window whatever)
The worries
- compared to the recent GW2 info dump, why were these games sites not just allowed to play the thing and fraps whatever they liked? (OK they should censor any puzzle spoilers)
- PVP appears to be taking a backseat, originally this was looking a nice 50/50 game like GW2, now looking more of a WOW style PVE/PVP balance
- still dont really know about crafting / economy etc..
- while it looks considerably less "corridory" than SWTOR and a few other recent games, will it be open enough?
What has me worried is the "you needed to communicate alot in dungeons" part at the end there. I really hope they have some sort of integrated party voice chat so that we dont have to type to communicate. Know what I mean?
I really love the look of the game and everything. Gameplay and open sandbox style feels and sounds great. Love the art and direction. Unfortunately id have HUGE problems giving funcom another dime of my cash.
For all the fanboys, go check out the word "Funcom'd" - i think its actually landed in the urban dictionary now. YOUVE BEEN FUNCOM'D!
I spent a few years in Age of Conan and despite holding out time and again for huge improvements to the game...it just didnt get good enough quickly enough and eventually stagnated. I honestly think they pulled out a lot of their talent so they could work THIS game and essentially dumped more garbage onto the people currently supporting their company. Never felt right to me that a game people were trying to support and stay faithful to kept getting let down so that they could develop their "next" game....I wonder if they will do the same with TSW
Dont get me wrong... Conan did get better and I think rebounded from its terrible launch. It just didnt get as good as it should have. It also frightens me that the guy who turned Conan around ,Craig Morrison, has nothing to do with TSW and TSW is being headed by Tornquist - who ruined Conan at launch. If Morrison helmed TSW from the get go I woulda been more enthused.
The main thing for me though is the amount of promsies and utter failures on FC's part. If anyone here thinks TSW will be any different then boy are you misguided.
Simple things like: In Conan you could siege other player keeps. This was done via a scheduling database. The coding was so abhorrent that if your PC clock/region time was NOT based on USA timezone (ie, you were in australia) then you had to reset your PC clock to USA time in order to properly interact with the keep scheduler. For our aussie based guild this led to numerous occassions where our keep timer would suddenly be jerked out of our control and set to usa based times (until we discovered what the issue was). To top it off DESPITE being informed of this numerous times, the Devs NEVER, not once, made a fix to this.
That is just one of dozens of examples I can think of. So many SIMPLE and easily solved things went wrong with that game that they never fixed.
I have no faith in the coding ability of their team.
I also have no faith in their promises. I signed up months in advance for their beta access. My partner and I Paid for a one year pass to Funcom with the understanding that those who paid for that special pass would receive beta access. Not only that, but I put in a ton of effort as a class advocate for the game and relaying info between the player base and the devs. Short of being told outright "youll get into beta quick" the assumption was always there that my beta access was well assured.
To this date I never received a beta invite.
So funcom puts it in writing that "pay for this special one year game time and you get beta access" then lumps you in no farther ahead than the rest of the crowd. Yet another failure on their part to back up what they say. Plenty of honest people paid the extra dime up front for a spot in beta and never received it.
I also found it hilarious when they botched the launch of their Beta. Everyone played it down and said "everyone makes mistakes, just give em a chance..." Sorry, gave em a chance for years with Conan. Their failed beta launch was just error # 1 million in a long series of debacles.
You can lump me into a "your just sour you never received beta access" corner if youd like. It'd partially be true...but the principle of the matter is that I wouldnt trust Funcom to release and support a game farther than I can spit. Way too many failures with Conan, with even simple design flaws and bug fixes, way too many failed promises.
Those of you who play TSW will eventually learn why all of us who played Conan for years created the word "Funcom'd"
Ya know what id like? I'd like for just ONE of you bloody reviewers to get in their face about all their failures and ask them how they intend to avoid having the same issues with TSW that they did with Conan. Id love to see the responses.
But nah, we're all too politically correct these days, right?
Honestly to the people who dont communicate i dont think this game will attract them. most people who dont like to communicate they are there for the Slashy Slashy type game. the second the game tells them to investigate or Think they will likely unsub. the only problem i will see is, as you said, do we get voice system in the game. if not then it will likely come to Pre fight descriptions.
Honestly i completely understand the worries due to Funcom's track record. sadly this is the only game of its kind being released, im willing to take the risk on it. id rather not fall back into the annoying same old same old that every other game seems to be providing. at this point i dont care about their track record, if they botch it ill be the first to admit it. i acted the same way with SWTOR, before i was excited now i disect it for the good and the bad.
Because i can.
I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
Logic every gamers worst enemy.
*sighs* people use one source then don"t understand and think one source is display of something company or game related. First off for game play footage go to the preview article on games radar its not alot but its there and thats from only looking at a few articles on the page on sw's website. The animations are a little stiff but usually animations is worked on last in game development there is alot of times when people switch it up but thats for games that have no real mechanics and are just looking to attract people who think: ooo pretty" ala SWTOR. Gameplay and lore take precendence so they were worked on first.
In crafting they have talked about reverse engineering how it works basically is say I want to make a sword first I"ll have to take apart the sword and get what I think is best summarized as a plan. Now I can add boosters but to get the "plans" for the boosters I have to reverse engineer chakras (TSW's version of gear). Thats when I take everything and make a sword with the stats I want to incorporate. ZAM will have a follow up article where they will talk more about crafting in interviews. They keep comparing it to minecraft but I am not particularly sure in what sense they mean.
Nice. I like the puzzle quests and the difficulty level. Also, modern world, no elves or space scifi, refreshing.
FURYBlakhart, Tornquist is from the adventure games Longest Journey and Dreamfall, not AoC. Guy before Morrison was Gaute, he left shortly after launch.