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Fallen Earth: A chance to try "sandboxy" MMO gameplay
SpottyGekko
Member EpicPosts: 6,916
For all the MMO'ers who have never experienced UO or old-style SWG (i.e. grew up on a solid diet of WoW and similar), Fallen Earth offers a glimpse of what "sandbox gameplay" can be like. If you would like to try something different and somewhat slower-paced than the standard "race-to-level-cap" themepark MMO, or want to give RP a whirl, you should give FE a try. After all, it's just converted to F2P a week ago, so there's no cost involved in having a look.
The server (there is only one) has been seriously stressed in the first week since the introduction of F2P, wth frequent crashes and major downtimes, but things seem to be stabilising now. The game is not bug-free, and the stressed server has not contributed to that side of things, but I've not personally encountered any game-breaking issues.
It is not a "fullblown sandbox game", it is still very much a hybrid of themepark and sandbox. There is no player housing, PvP is restricted to specific areas (or by optionally enabling your character for global PvP), certain content is "level-gated" (equipment usage and quests) and experience-gain is scaled to your level. But the world is large and open, there are no invisible walls to channel your gameplay. You can place temporary structures (camps) that give various buffs for a limited time, just like the camps in pre-NGE SWG, so you can sit around your campfire chatting to your friends before setting off on a activity. The type of character you want to play is entirely up to you, because you are in control of which skills the character will learn. Therefore how you choose to progress through the game world is very much your own choice.
As in most MMO's to date, you gain "experience points" by doing quests, killing things and crafting. In FE, you also get experience for gathering materials (scavenging and harvesting). Unlike most other games, the experience gain from crafting and gathering is quite significant, and applies to your overall experience gain (i.e. not to a seperate "crafting pool"), so you could actually get to level-cap just by scavenging, harvesting and crafting ! It would probably be quite a bit slower than questing/killing, but it does offer an alternative way of playing.
FE does have "character levels", which are used to regulate the flow of progression. However, your actual level is not as important as it is in most themeparks. What is important is where you apply your skillpoints. Two different characters at level 10 could have significantly different abilities. One could be a glass cannon, the other a tank, but there's no way of telling by just clicking on the character, because all you'll see is the name and level number. You can't automatically assume that a character 5 or 10 levels higher than you will naturally beat you in PvP, for example.
Afaik, there are no "level-multipliers" for penalties or benefits. You may find it harder to hit NPC's or players which have high defence values, not simply because they are "10 levels above you". What the character level does tell you is almost exactly how many skillpoints (AP) a given character has available to spend on skills. You can also look at it the other way around, of course, and say that the amount of skillpoints determines the level.
Most items in the game are player-crafted, and NPC's sell an extremely limited selection of items, often at fairly high prices. So the Auction House is your best bet unless you like crafting your own stuff. The economy has changed significantly since the F2P move, which also introduced changes to the game to focus more strongly on the player-driven economy.
In summary: The graphics are not cutting-edge and if you don't like semi-desert scenery, this may not be the game for you. But for the more adventurous, it does offer the chance to try something quite different from the "mainstream themepark" experience.
Comments
Are there classes selected at character creation?
Thanks OP I'll have to go check out this game. I played it when it 1st came out but didnt like the clunky combat system at the time. Is the combat better or improved since initial 6 months of release?
***raises plunger in salute to clones everywhere!***
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
No.
No. And never. It is just a matter of what skills and stats you train up. The closest thing resembling a class is what types of weapons you decide to train for, melee, pistol, rifle, and heavy weapons. Not that you can't have multiple, but usually considered suboptimal to raise two weapons styles high. (though many have some points in melee to save ammo). (and heavy weapons might be an exception).
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
Fallen Earth is a good game, one of the very few solid sandbox/themepark hybrids out there. I do really like the games skill system as it offers alot of customizability. Somewhat reminds me of Asherons Calls level/skill system.
It's definently worth trying out if you have the slightest interest. The f2P accounts don't seem to have to many restrictions placed on them.
It's been harder for me to get into...but I'm enjoying it so far.
Cool info, thanks! I really have to get in and check this out.
The combat ruined the game for me, played it for a few months from beta to release and I just got sick of it. Checked out f2p as I heard they had done major combat revamps, turns out that meant changing skills/mutations around not the actual feel of combat.
It's a great game for what it is, but I honestly just can't deal with that combat.
I felt the same way. On paper, FE sounded like the PERFECT game for me, but then the combat showed it's ugly face and I could not ignore it. Mob AI was pretty bad too... not sure if they've addressed that.
Also, the mutation system just really bothered me. From an RP standpoint, I simply couldn't accept that every single player HAD TO PICK some kind of mutation power. This isn't x-men. I didn't like that my character who I wanted to specialize in rifles and tech-crafting would be part mutant. I just didn't want that. I want the OPTION for mutations, but not the FORCED application of it.
Has that changed?
Have tried the game several times but really can't get into it.
The graphics just aren't right. They seem very plastic-like and somehow many things just look wrong. They seem to be trying for a realistic look but they're not able to pull it off and now seem so far into the uncanny valley that it could really be called the uncanny pit.
The combat lacks momentum. There doesn't seem to be any weight behind your attacks. Besides some minor simple stagger animations the only thing that's really happening is that health bars are going down. Haven't played till later levels so maybe the later guns pack more punch, but it just doesn't feel right.
I think they've got a great concept. But they utterly fail in the presentation of it.
We are the bunny.
Resistance is futile.
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Yes, it has changed.
Mutations are completely optional, and are no longer tied to the factions ingame. Your character automatically gets access to Alpha mutations, so you don't have to spend points in that line, and you don't have to use them if you don't want to. Look at them as a side-effect of the cloning process, lol.
The combat system is a bit hard to get used to if you come from a "tag-target" MMO, because in FE you have to aim, and if another player or NPC gets between you and your target, you'll hit whatever is in the way. Headshots are really meaningful in FE !
Like I said before, FE is not everyone's cup o' tea, but it does provide a different gaming experience to what's become the mainstream nowadays. It's free to try, and the F2P model is VERY good. There are no quest packs to buy, or regions to unlock with real money. The only real penalty for F2P'ers is slightly reduced XP gain and longer crafting times.
Think that right there just made me consider downloading it again.
I can't be too picky about a game if it's free and offers at least SOME enjoyment.
Cool info, thanks! I really have to get in and check this out.
They do give you guided 'builds' though. If you want them. I'm not sure where they came from. When I played, I chose to follow the 'Rifleman' point distribution. It let me know which skills went with which attributes kind of thing. It is, like they said, totally optional, but pretty convenient if (like me) you are lazy.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
The economy is really booming due to the influx of F2P players. Never seen so much stuff on the AH, or so many people using it !
The templates are gone, and you now get 30 AP per level (plus bonus AP from quests), which you can spend anywhere you like. The previous system automatically increased all your skills every level (but only gave you 20 AP to spend freely), whereas now it's totally up to you where you want to put the points.
Couldn't agree more. Fallen Earth could have been a great game, but it fails in too many areas - graphics/design/animations, combat system, mob AI, etc. Plus it's way too solo friendly.
This is the matrix from the site: http://www.gamersfirst.com/fallenearth/sites/www.gamersfirst.com.fallenearth/files/popup_matrix.png
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
Unfortionately not. I canceled my sub about 2-3 months ago because of the combat system. It really does get annoying after awhile. The mobs have an IQ of a hamster and are still buggy as ever. Basically FE is f2p because it has to be. Anyone with a head on their shoulders wouldn't pay $15 a month to play it.
"I play Tera for the gameplay"
Fallen earth is in no way a sandbox game. Not even close.
Real sandbox games: EVE, UO, Mortal Online, Darkfall, Xsyon
Bad themepark game + shooter does not = sandbox
Oh and it's also one of the worst mmo's i've ever played.
Stopped playing this a long time ago & actually felt sad about quiiting. Loved the way crafting worked & felt the world was immersive. Playerbase was really cool & the /help channel was very friendly. One server was also a big plus.
Just couldn't get past the combat though. In the end, I was playing this MMO where I enjoyed almost everything except combat. Combat just seemed clunky and the mob ai was terrible. If combat ai can be redone, I'd gladly rejoin.