Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

The Chronicles of Spellborn: A Beta Look at Spellborn

StraddenStradden Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696

MMORPG.com Managing Editor Jon Wood recently took part in a hands-on experience with the Chronicles of Spellborn beta. Today, he reports back with what he experienced and a few opinions as well.

Last week, I wrote about character customization in The Chronicales of Spellborn. Today, I’m going to give some of my impressions from the rather limited gameplay that I recently experienced.

Overall Look

First, I should say that the game looks great. While it’s not at the forefront of graphics technology, The Chronicles of Spellborn does a great job of capturing you and bringing you into the game world with their art direction. I don’t really know how to describe the general visual style of the game other than to tell you that it reminded me a little bit of a toned down Tim Burton style with its slightly curved buildings and exaggerated characters.

Still, you didn’t click on this article to read me waxing poetic about something that you can see for yourself in a screenshot, you wanted to read a little something about the game mechanics:

Read A Beta Look at Spellborn

Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com

«13

Comments

  • JoibestJoibest Member Posts: 12

    Good preview there.

    Being an old beta tester I have to admit that most points made are more or less true (positive and negative).

    It's possible that some "casual"  players will be dissatisfied with the "rough" start (basic inventory, no markers for quests).

    I for one would wish that people will give this game a chance, since its true magic is revealed at later levels (eg. there is, currently, nothing in the MMO world like the PVP fights among two characters with full skill decks).

    See you there....

     

     

  • summitussummitus Member UncommonPosts: 1,414
    Originally posted by Joibest


    Good preview there.
    Being an old beta tester I have to admit that most points made are more or less true (positive and negative).
    It's possible that some "casual"  players will be dissatisfied with the "rough" start (basic inventory, no markers for quests).
    I for one would wish that people will give this game a chance, since its true magic is revealed at later levels (eg. there is, currently, nothing in the MMO world like the PVP fights among two characters with full skill decks).
    See you there....
     
     



     

    So you think everyone should give the game a chance ? despite the bullshit they have pulled over splitting europe and IP Blocking ?

    These bright sparks have managed to make it impossible for alot people to give the game chance even if they wanted too ...

  • JoibestJoibest Member Posts: 12

     

    If you don't mind I would prefer not to go deep into this discussion.

    I am also worried about these decisions. They might have shot their own foot, limiting their potential customer base.

    I don't think I can affect those decisions though.

    So, my comments refer only to the gameplay of this title and not the business decisions of the developing/distributing companies.

    My opinion then: If you have the possibility to play the game, give it a chance....

     

  • JK-KanosiJK-Kanosi Member Posts: 1,357

    What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be able to try the game out? What barriers?

    MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW

    Currently Playing: WAR
    Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.

  • d0n0d0n0 Member Posts: 123

     this game is bullshit, period. Not trolling, just giving my own impressions after testing, and seriously, i tried to play more but.. i cant. UI is not user friendly since start and then you get lost doin the third quest, maybe its me but i am not giving credits to this game. 

    I assume its the innovation on the battle system and stuff .. i just cant get used to it and get sick and bored..

    There is no knowledge that is no power.

  • JelloB2000JelloB2000 Member CommonPosts: 1,848


    Originally posted by summitus
    Originally posted by Joibest Good preview there.
    Being an old beta tester I have to admit that most points made are more or less true (positive and negative).
    It's possible that some "casual"  players will be dissatisfied with the "rough" start (basic inventory, no markers for quests).
    I for one would wish that people will give this game a chance, since its true magic is revealed at later levels (eg. there is, currently, nothing in the MMO world like the PVP fights among two characters with full skill decks).
    See you there....
     
     

     
    So you think everyone should give the game a chance ? despite the bullshit they have pulled over splitting europe and IP Blocking ?
    These bright sparks have managed to make it impossible for alot people to give the game chance even if they wanted too ...



    Here are some threads for that specific discussion:
    Why the fuss about UK IP blocks?
    The "stop UK and other EU players having to play apart thread"

    (Discussion for this thread is "The Chronicles of Spellborn: A Beta Look at Spellborn".)

  • LydonLydon Member UncommonPosts: 2,938

    I'm so stoked for TCoS. Can't wait to give it a try!

  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,435
    Originally posted by d0n0


     this game is bullshit, period. Not trolling, just giving my own impressions after testing, and seriously, i tried to play more but.. i cant. UI is not user friendly since start and then you get lost doin the third quest, maybe its me but i am not giving credits to this game. 
    I assume its the innovation on the battle system and stuff .. i just cant get used to it and get sick and bored..

     

    You sound like perfect WOW material, but perhaps this game just won't be for you.

    I for one am interested from Jon's preview (wish DF had one) and now will consider giving the gamee a trial for its challenges.

     

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






  • Slapshot1188Slapshot1188 Member LegendaryPosts: 16,947

    Overall, I think that TCoS is going to be a solid game that will certainly appeal to the many people who have been asking for a game based more on intelligence, tactics and skill than dice rolls and button-pushing

     

    OK.. This is the one line that drives me insane.  "Skill" based on button pushing/mouse moving in an RPG.  Sorry, but the Ranger/Archer I'm "ROLE PLAYING" probably has a lot more accuracy with  the bow he's been usiing the last 20 years than I do sitting behind my monitor here..

    The more these games trend to Mortal Kombat like fighting systems, the more they stray from their RPG roots...

    It could be a real fun game.. and I'm going to give the trial a shot but I really hate to see the editor of mmoRPG.com giving credence to this whole "skill"  concept.  This isn't MMOFPS.com after all..

    All time classic  MY NEW FAVORITE POST!  (Keep laying those bricks)

    "I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator

    Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017. 

    Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018

    "Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018

  • d0n0d0n0 Member Posts: 123

     No, dont get me wrong, I quit wow loong ago, before Battlegrounds patch(got to 60 on those days lol), maybe its just im not used to this games since I miss a lot Ultima online pre-AOS and stuff like any other serious person should.. but well.. not worth the try FOR ME.. 

    There is no knowledge that is no power.

  • coffeecoffee Member Posts: 2,007

    I was realy looking forward TCOS but the launch will be the death of the game, age old EU guilds cant play together as the game has around half a dozen publishers for different countries, Europe has been split in 2 forcing UK players to play on US servers?!?!? WTF.

    Different publishers/servers for different groups of EU countries.. seems the TCOS team put more importance on getting a publisher than satisfying their player base.

    Its a twitch game demanding low pings, UK <> US pings will be through the roof.

    This has realy annoyed me..... R.I.P TCOS.

    image

  • wolvie3131wolvie3131 Member UncommonPosts: 196
    Originally posted by Kyleran

    Originally posted by d0n0


     this game is bullshit, period. Not trolling, just giving my own impressions after testing, and seriously, i tried to play more but.. i cant. UI is not user friendly since start and then you get lost doin the third quest, maybe its me but i am not giving credits to this game. 
    I assume its the innovation on the battle system and stuff .. i just cant get used to it and get sick and bored..

     

    You sound like perfect WOW material, but perhaps this game just won't be for you.

    I for one am interested from Jon's preview (wish DF had one) and now will consider giving the gamee a trial for its challenges.

     

     

    this review is pretty spot on imo.

    I had a chance at the CB and it was really interesting to say the least. UI is rather odd to get used to, and the fact you can actually move and dodge, is fun and adds to the challenge.

    This game does not hold your hand and say x marks the spot, there are factions and houses to join, it is NOT a gear driven game. You have sigil like stones you can place in your equipment (equipment is basically for looks) from what I saw a lower lv with good skill and a well thought out deck can and will smash a higher lv who sucks and doesn't use use their heads and plan well.

    another thing they have managed to get rid of from what I saw, was the Holy trinity of tank, healer, DPS.

    no squishy casters (casters can melee too) in PVP you cant judge what you are going up against just by looking at them unlike most games (IE: I know thats a caster cause they are wearing a cloth robe) everyone looks different and plays different, as you can adapt your deck to your personal playstyle and strats.

    was fun and I hope to see this idea successful and yes it did have its down side was still a bit buggy and all, but hey it WAS a BETA afterall

    Kyleran  I quoted you as I was going to say with the way they are offering a free time to play, you really have nothing to lose when it comes out ;)

     

  • L0k1-L0k1- Member Posts: 240
    Originally posted by d0n0


     this game is bullshit, period. Not trolling, just giving my own impressions after testing, and seriously, i tried to play more but.. i cant. UI is not user friendly since start and then you get lost doin the third quest, maybe its me but i am not giving credits to this game. 
    I assume its the innovation on the battle system and stuff .. i just cant get used to it and get sick and bored..

     

    how did you get lost after third quest? :/

    I constantly received new quests and never had zero quests in my questlog after starting to play.

  • ShojuShoju Member UncommonPosts: 776
    Originally posted by d0n0


     this game is bullshit, period. Not trolling, just giving my own impressions after testing, and seriously, i tried to play more but.. i cant. UI is not user friendly since start and then you get lost doin the third quest, maybe its me but i am not giving credits to this game. 
    I assume its the innovation on the battle system and stuff .. i just cant get used to it and get sick and bored..

     

    Bwahahaha!  Because you found the game to be too difficult for you to work out, that makes the game crap?  That is priceless.

  • daeandordaeandor Member UncommonPosts: 2,695

    I agree with your take Jon.  I would like to mention that the TCoS team did add in a little green dot (quest givers) and red dot (quest objectives) on the radar when you get close enough to them.  Bottom line is that the quest givers give enough info to get you in the area, then it's up to the player to get close enough for the objective to come up on radar.

     

    I'd also like to add that you failed to mention how much this game focuses on quest grinding for "fame."  In fact, it nearly requires complete devotion to grinding quests in order to advance in levels as just grinding mobs gives fairly useless amounts of Fame unless you are a class that can AoE animals (Rune mage).

     

    Lastly, to the split regions and IP blocking crowd.  I suggest you get up to date on the issue as the reality is now that Acclaim now has:  NA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Italy, Spain, and Eastern Europe.  Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Scandinavia all seem to be seperate now.  Anyhow, the demographics of who can go on what servers is changing.

     

    I say the game is worth a try if players are even remotely interested, they might be surprised and how fun some aspects of the game play.

  • jimsmith08jimsmith08 Member Posts: 1,039
    Originally posted by d0n0


     this game is bullshit, period. Not trolling, just giving my own impressions after testing, and seriously, i tried to play more but.. i cant. UI is not user friendly since start and then you get lost doin the third quest, maybe its me but i am not giving credits to this game. 
    I assume its the innovation on the battle system and stuff .. i just cant get used to it and get sick and bored..

    Id actually say the UI is very good.You have a simple bar in the bottom right corner with everything you need and a basic,clear chat window with tabs for ease of channel swapping.

    How the hell did you get lost on the third quest? Isnt that the one where the guy tells you to run south to the farm,which you can almost see from where youre standing anyway!?

    I was personally very impressed with spellborn,as its not just another level up and grind armour wow clone. The quests require you to actually read the quest text (a novel approach in the days of games such as war) and use your map and compass to find your way around.

    The mobs are pretty tough,you wont be clicking 3 skills and killing them,you have to actually fight.The AI is also very good.

    The combat system is great,not just the fps style aiming,but the way combat works..its based around buffing and debuffing to put it simply,and requires tactics and a well chosen skill deck.

    Plenty of customisation not only in appearance but in how your character perfromes in general,again a very novel approach in the talent tree fests we see today.

    My critisizms would be the usual 'collect 10 antlers' type of quests are in place,and that the charatcer graphics are poor in comparison to the world.

    Its a great indie game with a lot of potential,though the bizarre publishing set up may hurt it. Well worth trying out if youre sick of the usual limited wow clones that vomit out at a constant rate.

  • Deweycat23Deweycat23 Member Posts: 29

    I love this game.  I am lucky to have tested CB and OB. I like that i coukld not figure things out and was not SPOON fed everything I need to know. You have to use you r firggin brain. I like that I can log into maggie the jack cat and get a spoiler (Although some spoilers will pop up). I alos need to learn to be better at touch keyboarding.

    THANK GOD THIS IS NOT A WoW CLONE!!!!

    I really had a great time almost as much fun as my first mmo. The only game that seems this ambitous is darkfall.

    USE your brain and stop being spoon fed quest info and learm to use your keyboard. This is really a great game and will only get better. The people that made this game care about their product. This style will not please everyone but WoW does not please everyone.

    I do wish that the EU players will be able to play on servers that their friends are on. This does stink but as I lack information as to why this is happening (real behind the scenes truth) You will be able to play and .... OMG make new friends!!!! yes you should not get divided from other EU countries but that should not stop your enjoyment. I am in N.A. and will be lucky to play by January.

    I will be soooo happy to give my money to TCoS. I already think this is a winner. Sad that many won't see this as there previous or first mmo will not allow then to think uotside the box. No game will be perfect for all players but this definitely make strides where others have only mimmiced the FoTM mmo.

    Give it a try it will be F2P till lvl 7?  and do not expect to be spoon fed, expect to have to actually use your keyboard and brain. I am pleased at what is yet to come.

  • KorbyKorby Member Posts: 499

    I applied in 2005 with a kick-ass application that has gotten me into every other beta I've applied for.

     

    I've kinda given up on TCoS :(

  • ZANGFEIZANGFEI Member Posts: 439
    Originally posted by Shoju

    Originally posted by d0n0


     this game is bullshit, period. Not trolling, just giving my own impressions after testing, and seriously, i tried to play more but.. i cant. UI is not user friendly since start and then you get lost doin the third quest, maybe its me but i am not giving credits to this game. 
    I assume its the innovation on the battle system and stuff .. i just cant get used to it and get sick and bored..

     

    Bwahahaha!  Because you found the game to be too difficult for you to work out, that makes the game crap?  That is priceless.



     

    Absolute perfect example of i need  something to point the way for me. I do think he/she should go play one of the new So called games that has Bot programs in it, Click and go watch TV or ALT +TAB to the next bot or nearest fridge.

     

  • goemoegoemoe Member UncommonPosts: 272

    The combat system is the worst I have ever tried. For many quests I had to run around more than for an old school adventure. The skill wheel is a serious limitiation, not a great addition. The grafics have been nice, the story too, but everything else is a no-go. The is really nothing to hook you in this game.

  • daylight01daylight01 Member Posts: 2,250

    daeandor wrote.

    "Lastly, to the split regions and IP blocking crowd. I suggest you get up to date on the issue as the reality is now that Acclaim now has: NA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Italy, Spain, and Eastern Europe. Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Scandinavia all seem to be seperate now. Anyhow, the demographics of who can go on what servers is changing."

    And your point is?

    Just to add you forgot some countries,Benelux countries are also with Germany,Switzerland,Austria,France and Scandinavia so they have still split up the EU player base so I have no idea why your post would make anyone feel better about this.

    image

    If someone had came up to me in 1980 when I was on my Atari 2600 and said we will be playing games with thousands of people at the same time.I guess my response would have been,"but I only have 2 joysticks"

    http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/235780/page/8

  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 6,959
    Originally posted by daylight01


    daeandor wrote.
    "Lastly, to the split regions and IP blocking crowd. I suggest you get up to date on the issue as the reality is now that Acclaim now has: NA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Italy, Spain, and Eastern Europe. Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Scandinavia all seem to be seperate now. Anyhow, the demographics of who can go on what servers is changing."
    And your point is?
    Just to add you forgot some countries,Benelux countries are also with Germany,Switzerland,Austria,France and Scandinavia so they have still split up the EU player base so I have no idea why your post would make anyone feel better about this.



     

    I agree.

    It's such a shame that these most stupid bussiness decisions ever have been made.

    So many EU people are already upset and fed up by this, that they seriously have shot themselves in the foot by this!

    Never ever I have seen such idiotic and stupid bussiness decisions being made and it will be downfall for Spellborn and the game hasn't even been released yet.

    ----------

    As for the spoonfed thing. This isn't something new.

    Sure WoW, EQ1, EQ2, LOTRO have quest trackers. Still you have to search for the quest locations yourself and thus actually read the quest description, just like with TCOS (unless you install map location mods or internet sites).

    It were games like CoX, Tabula Rasa, Age of Conan and Warhammer Online that turned MMO gaming into lazy spoonfed gaming.

    Cheers

  • daggereyedaggereye Member Posts: 19

    I want to check that combat system it sounds interesting, and of course I'll give the demo a whirl. oh good preview.

  • ElikalElikal Member UncommonPosts: 7,912

    Something I am definitely going to pass. It just looks way to weird and odd to me. *shrug*

    People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert

  • daeandordaeandor Member UncommonPosts: 2,695
    Originally posted by daylight01


    daeandor wrote.
    "Lastly, to the split regions and IP blocking crowd. I suggest you get up to date on the issue as the reality is now that Acclaim now has: NA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Italy, Spain, and Eastern Europe. Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Scandinavia all seem to be seperate now. Anyhow, the demographics of who can go on what servers is changing."
    And your point is?
    Just to add you forgot some countries,Benelux countries are also with Germany,Switzerland,Austria,France and Scandinavia so they have still split up the EU player base so I have no idea why your post would make anyone feel better about this.

    Um, my point is that the demographics are changing, it's the last sentence of the paragraph.  Do I need to spell out what that means?  It means that there could be other changes too.  And we don't know if the blocks are actually happening yet since the CB and OB didn't have IP blocking.  It's all speculation at this point.  My post wasn't to "make people feel better," merely to say that previous posts were crying about UK not having any EU players to play with when that is clearly false.  Oh, and I'm sorry I forgot the Benelux, I thought I had typed it in.

     

    We should have more information today as the Frogster release appears to be going off as originally scheduled.

Sign In or Register to comment.