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My impression at 30ish
trieditall
Member UncommonPosts: 49
I played this game almost immediately after launch. I stopped playing mainly due to what I will call major lag (I know the devs are saying it was due to hardware issues but the end result was that I would lag for 30-60 seconds at a time running a top of the line computer on DSL). Also, at level 90ish the game had become a little stale. I have a few observations since I have been trying it again.
1. Crafting - The crafting is intiricate and appears to have not changed much. I think that the whole gathering materials should be made more rewarding (like maybe give XP for each resource node sucessfully extracted or maybe even a way to switch adventure XP for craft XP) because this is a ridiculously boring part of the game. Also, I wonder why the crafting stations have been removed from the resource processing areas? This is a disappointing development and a major drawback.
2. Adventuring - I decided to try the same type char as before to have a good comparison (basically Reaver/Healer) and it seems that at least for this type, some nerfing has occured. Granted the Reaver was very powerful, but now the "leeching" type spells are useless except for Paroxsym (area leeching). The amount of leech you receive is worthless after a very long casting delay time. That being said, Reaver is still enjoyable to play.
I mentioned in another thread about the lack of mobs. It is not as bad as I originally thought.. Some of the mobs are sort of hidden (I am guessing to reduce lag). Many can be found by use of the Trophy Hunter quests. One thing that really bothers me is the way the golems are "falling down" all the time and the the way mobs do not draw until you are past them. These are probably to reduce lag also but very annoying. The golems first appear on screen as they look when dead, unless they are dead, in which case they first appear to be alive (weird).
3. Veterans - The veterans are extremely friendly and helpful. Don't be afraid to ask for help, they are more than accomodating.
Overall still a very enjoyable game. The addition of the free to play feature is awesome. The interaction required between the various crafting/adventure schools is nice (resources found as loot are used to craft teched armor/jewelry/weapons) although it can sometimes turn into a grind trying to get the special loot drops. For those who like to solo, it is impossible to do so completely in this game. This is a game geared for group interaction IMO.
Comments
Thanks for a great review!
I have to agree about the golem animations. Especially if you're out there killing for a quest, it's really hard to tell sometimes on first glace if that pile of rocks there is dead or a new respawn! Pulling enemies is a little tricky sometimes -- it's not always consistent on how close you can get before you gain aggro. I suppose that's why it's a good idea to train up in a class that allows for a distant pull skill if possible.
While I play a Dragon main, and have found my experiences with playing Bi-peds to be a bit more difficult, I've not had any real issue with soloing. I soloed my Dragon completely up to 50 before having to ask the help of other players, and that was for my Right of Passage quests that required killing creatures 30+ levels above me -- epic quests designed for groups.
I will say that the game can be difficult to solo until you get a good feel for monster types and individual spawn areas. It's all very much a learning process. I found this especially true for levels 20-35ish. I think my level 20 set of dragon quests were the most difficult for me to complete... some I could not finish until well into my 30s, depending on the type of creature I was sent to kill. After that, something seems to have caught up, either in my stats or my leveling, and I generally don't have an issue completing trophy or dragon quests at my level anymore. This may change again as I level, but for now, in the mid 50s, I feel pretty confident in my solo ability as long as I play and pull carefully.
Another thing to keep in mind is the much-awaited T2 revamp that is in the works. Once that is released, the whole level 21-40 experience is going to change drastically. I'm holding back leveling my Bi-peds until then as I really want to experience the content with a character on-level for the quest lines.
Glad to have you in Istaria! Hope you decide to stick around. The free to play option is, indeed, excellent!
hi tried!
nice to see you came back and gave us another try!! most welcome home, and we love having you as long as you care to stay!
yeah, crafting grind is still the same. i always try to have a nice stack of (currently, 30 year old MADs) magazines and/or something kewl on the boobtoob will grinding. it helps, specially if you are a wuss like me and don't care to play with the nasties while crafting.
the professions change all the time - it might help to remember that until virtrium came along, horizons had been owned by some pretty nasty peeps. vi is trying to get things strait and flying right. personally, i am still peeved about them taking nadia away, but what can you do, eh? gods will be gods, after all.
well, i kinda like the falling gols......makes em easier to target or to run past. and if you are at the sandstone quarry in parsinia, the bronze gols start walking around in a circle together, and when they start falling down, it looks like a game of ring around the rosey.....
i encourage everyone who might be interested in a slower paced, community committed, pve game where there are no leets or pressure to check out the free to play option.....you got nothing to lose, after all!!!
promiscuous advocate of mischief - OMG, wotsda BFD??
i take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe
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Elder and wise... for so I greet ye howsoever ye may be in thine own eye... :-).
Mayhap, in mine own poor manner, I may offer some few and worthless words to set beside thine. For the land of Istaria passed but days ago it's sixth year of the land called Real, and my first waking there much the same.
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Also, I wonder why the crafting stations have been removed from the resource processing areas?
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When first the gods made this so, it was made son in their words to increase the peril of gathering. For then one might gather, make that gather to craft, and once crafted much less of space did it take in a pack, and mayhap recall to a place of safety. One may still do so, but one may only recall to that safety with what thy pack may hold in raw matter... or drag a cargo disk of slow nature some long path, with all that may transpire along that path. Or... and this no few do, work in company with others One gathers a disk, and passes the content full and raw to another, who takes the longer path home. And if ye have many others, swift may be the gather. Thus, there are paths both for the one that would work alone and also for those that work in association with others.
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One thing that really bothers me is the way the golems are "falling down" all the time and the the way mobs do not draw until you are past them. These are probably to reduce lag also but very annoying. The golems first appear on screen as they look when dead, unless they are dead, in which case they first appear to be alive (weird).
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Were I a walker of stone or metal, or yet gem, then it might well be that my feet grow tired from much walking and I sleep! Heh... indeed, sleep be the manner of most rocks I have known... But, and mayhap this be more the manner of it, were I that walker, it might well seem most sneaky to my wit ( and none mark rock walkers of great wit!) to crouch me down and seem like some silent stone, to spring more feetly upon some foolish passing Fool. And if I do not truly seem as those other rocks around... well and all. Mayhap stone walkers do not oft look them in mirrors to know... <G>.
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For those who like to solo, it is impossible to do so completely in this game. This is a game geared for group interaction IMO.
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As each eye sees it, so let it be to that sight. And thine eye is thine, and what it sees, it sees, and let none ever say ye do not see it. But there are, mayhap, other eyes. And there are, mayhap, other sights. So my poor words I offer. For there are those of the land of Order that will attest to their long suffering of my waking among them... and much suffering it hath indeed been <G>. But this I say, and there may be some that may attest to it. From my first waking to some 100 seasons of drake I have lived, and even some 0.07% to my next season of war ( heh, a jest for those that know dragon nature to attest). And no Guild or Clan have ever I joined, for I am Bound else. And save my passing to Adult and Ancient, from all my early days have I near ever walked and grown and danced and fought alone... and if these more recent, though long, tides, the Thunder hath stood ever near the Lightning in War and Craft both... then that is but a matter of both their choosing and not of any necessity.
In words more short, there are again, at least in my poor view, paths to growing that set the seeker's feet alone, and paths that the seeker may take in company... and each hath cost and each merit.
My greeting to thy waking, old and wise. My greeting and my thanks... for the land be only so strong as those in it, and those in it only as strong as the spirits of those that wake. Land's weal ye be, and the land be greater for thy waking.
Sephiranoth, called by some ShadowSeeker
Nobody and Nothing ever, save The Five do Feast
A Fool that walks among the Wise
I guess I should have made more clear my views on soloing the game. Primarily I meant that players are reliant on eachother for at the very least tech loot but also for the crafting of gear or spells. True a player could go through this game never even talking to anyone, grinding out every craft school (that is a lot of schools), and killing single mobs of their own level but that seems so impractical. I am not talking about joining a guild, but even if you have ever bought anything off a consigner, you have interacted with another player.
Nice review...this was my first mmo. I was looking around to see if it was still up because I remember it having some major issues, only to find out it now has a different name!
Might start this up again, at least just to have a look around.
I don't know if it has changed drastically recently, but I had exactly the opposite impression.
I've never played an mmo more geared towards solo'ing than this one. In fact I found that to be a turn-off. The game-mechanics encourage solo'ing so much that the richest and deepest combat interactions you'll normally have with other players is them buffing each other in passing.
The exception to this is very rare quest mobs - at which point Horizon's veterans normally descend on you in swarms to help you vanquish them (i.e. they kill it while you cower quietly behind a bush).
The game is very easy to play solo if you want, since you can do every task with the ability to change classes and reusable skill points, but I remember grouping to take on the beer, gin and tequila golems when I was probably lvl 25 or so. The lack of population kinda ruined that but grouping to take on guys 10+ lvls higher then you was what is used to be about.
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