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How important is Early access? ...take a look and learn why.
Czzarre
Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 3,742
So, to all the viewers, the anticipation is coming to an end the the reality of this game's release will be soon upon us. Its been a long road with hoards of fans following the progress, reading the monthly newsletters, discussing then defending then flaming numerous posts on even more numerous AoC fan sites. The beta is coming to a close. So feel free to brush aside any jealousy of those who were in Beta. The clock starts anew...
It is here! It is time!
However, this time begins sooner for some. Preorders gain a 3 day head start. Purchasing of the Early access also allows you those 3 days. The reasoning behind this is both financial and practical. Financially, Funcom gets more money by enticing people to preorder...giving them an influx of cash. Practically, it allows for a smoother start. Instead of the dam breaking on May 20, they open the floodgates a little on MAy 17 and are able to see where they need to shore up unforseen stresses on their servers.
However, what does it mean for you...the individual player?
First off, get the notion out of your head that these 3 days will allow you become MAX lev 80, become a grandmaster uber-crafter and have all the rarest equipment to place you at such an advantage that you will be crowned Conan 2.0
...wont happen.
There should be one focus and one thought in your mind. Get the HELL out of Tortage.
Let me repeat this
GET THE HELL OUT OF TORTAGE!
To those who have not read mine or other reviews (read mine HERE). AoC begins with a bottleneck. For 20 levels EVERY player starts here ...no matter the race, no matter the class. I do not want to take away from these zones...they are great. But on May 20 there is a HUGE influx of players ...and I wager Tortage will become VERY VERY frustrating. There will be vast competiton for resources (MOBs/quest bosses) in every Tortage daytime instance and I worry there just wont be enough to satisfy the first wave of players. If you can get out of this bottleneck in 3 days, you will be much happier as thereafter the zones are larger and there are many more choices for you to go.
3 days! When you start that game, the clock is ticking! I myself usually like to enjoy the journey...take it leisurly....smell the roses. DONT SMELL THE ROSES! Get to 20 and get out. After the game has calmed and the populations have moved on and spread out. Make an alt, and enjoy Tortage. It is a great place and really has a great story behind it.
For more reading, take a look at the AOC "A Great Game with a Fatal Flaw" HERE
Good Luck, and lace up your running shoes.
Comments
Well there are multiple instances of the same zone so it will not get too crowded. Hoping they have enough.
You have practically said everything that was in my mind!
...or...you could just wait 3 days until after launch to play it, wait for the flood of people to pass, then smell the roses
I personally love the smell, especially during springtime...
Well the last thing im gonne do is rush...cetertenly not when theres some influx of players on the 20th....so what? if its becomes realy unplayablel i loggoff and go do something els? and check back later, but i think the op is just way to overreacting here, as i never had any trobble whit it on previous mmo's starting areas so why would conan be an ecseption? even if the world will be hit whit a gaint metior on the 20th...the last thing i will do in a game is rush...i will enjoy it instead at my on phase.
Playing: World of Warcraft.
Played: Lord of the Rings Online, Starwars Galaxies.
Tried: Starwars the Old Republic, Everquest 2, Guild Wars, Vanguard, Age of Conan, Aion.
I'm gonna do what Czzarre said. Me and my son are just gonna group up and wax everything. I'm gonna catch a nap before the servers go live, brew some coffee and just gonna bumrush to 20 as fast as I can go. Then after things have settled down, i'll take Tortage slow.
Good post OP
That is basically why I'm waiting a week past release to play, to 1) read all the reviews (biased an unbiased) that pass by, and to 2) make sure I'm not frozen by the traffic. I could care less if I'm first to level 80, just that I'm the best player once I get there
I am sure the OP means well & thinks he is giving good advice, but why spoil the best part of a new MMO by being in a mad rush to get out of the initial areas?
In most MMOs, the starter city gives you your first flavour of the game & has lots of things to see & do that have been carefully prepared to introduce new players to the world. If you just grind your way through the first 20 levels at super speed, then the opportunity to enjoy experiencing things for the first time will have been wasted.
Not sure about smelling roses though, I am looking forward to relaxing in the bar!
If you can't "Have your cake & eat it too", then how can "The proof of the pudding be in the eating"?
Take the Hecatomb? TCG What Is Your Doom? quiz.
I would be thrilled to get to Level 20 and get the heck out of Dodge...erm...Tortage .*wink*
However...
I forgot to buy the guide when I preordered the CE so I am clueless...totally without a clue. I have been stuck in lava, chased and killed by Level 20 mobs in an area where I was supposed to find a Level 6 quest item and I only discovered the NPC that sells and repairs yesterday! (Sounds so dangerous, so exotic and exciting, but it just makes me feel oh so DUMB!)
Granted, I'm almost a fresh from the farm newbie when it comes to games but after playing World of Warcraft and Lord of The Rings, I thought I had grown and perhaps matured. I believed that maybe I was ready for something that required some thought and intelligence.
I was wrong, Wrong, WRONG!!
My only hope is that by the time early access begins my dear husband will have figured it out and is more than patient as he guides me through the steps needed to get outside. Otherwise, I will be in a sorry state on release day.
(I mean no harm, disrespect, or inciting of anything...I am admitting I'm new, so please don't flame me *wink*)
You can always go nighttime in Tortage and solo all they way.. my first dude went to 13 almost exclusively on nighttime mode..
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CASUAL CONFESSIONS - Draccan's blog
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I almost laughed IRL at your post. You do realize as others have said that there are zones. You will have no issues with how many people will be in your zone. Please, trolling though
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Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
I waited a long time for this, I'm not rushing anything.
I wasn't in beta, but thank goodness I checked up on my preorder and got the key last week.
It'll probably take me 3 hours just to create my first character. Which I'm still not sure what race I want.
Bah I'm just gonna enjoy the game whatever happens happens.
I'm going to do a mixture of both. I want to experience what I can in tortage but still try to get out before the 20th. Cause thats all i'm doing this weekend! But I get distracted easily in MMO's so I doubt I can hit 20 in 3 days....who knows.
Absolutly. I have found that you can go to 11-12 in Tortage nightime (solo play) but after that I just cannot see you going all the way to 20 in Tortage Nighttime. If there is a strategy that would be a significant find!
Defintly for anyone who is in the main wave of initial player...use tortage Nightime as long as possible.
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Pandrax
Ive little doubt that the multi-instances will help. Yet I wager not enough. Its a combination of the smallish zone instances...the number of camps are a bit less...players can plow through camps very easily killing 2-3 mobs at a time, downtime is very very short...grouping is not required allowing for more solo players and thus more competitoon...and just the sheer number of players anticipated to play this MMO on May 20 will be large. As for my post causing you to laugh IRL...I'm happy to spread joy throughout the world.
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I will , however, also mention that another strategy would be to wait out the first week. Then, go in and smell the roses
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)