You dont have to spell anything out for me sunshine but maybe try reading the official forums.......
As I have explained in the other thread: http://www.tcos.com/sbforum/viewtopic.php?p=233188#233188 people from the countries under Frogster/Mindscape will be not eligible (aka IP banned) from playing on Acclaim servers and Frogster/Mindscape will IP ban people from Acclaim territories.
Also, since we have a couple of thread on the matter as it is and this one moves towards personal bickering, here comes the lock.
_________________
Banshee
English Community Manager
The Chronicles of Spellborn
This is the way it will be so again,whats your point?
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"
You dont have to spell anything out for me sunshine but maybe try reading the official forums....... As I have explained in the other thread: http://www.tcos.com/sbforum/viewtopic.php?p=233188#233188 people from the countries under Frogster/Mindscape will be not eligible (aka IP banned) from playing on Acclaim servers and Frogster/Mindscape will IP ban people from Acclaim territories. Also, since we have a couple of thread on the matter as it is and this one moves towards personal bickering, here comes the lock.
_________________
Banshee
English Community Manager
The Chronicles of Spellborn
This is the way it will be so again,whats your point?
What?
In that link, Banshee basically says he/she does not know how they will "block" other than through account registration. But that is besides the point. Can you not freaking read???
My points easily laid out for the freaking retarded!!!!
The game release is dynamic. With every day the information about release changes. The distribution of TCoS is a goat screw. The statements made previously in the thread are now FALSE. Nobody, not even Banshee and Mirage, know how this release is going to happen with any certainty anymore.
So, my recommendation to the Euros who have their panties in a bunch over this release: wait until after release and see for yourself.
And finally, you were an active member of TCoS forum who is stating he will not play. So why are you trolling me with vague questions about nothing and derailing a perfectly good thread?
Banshee as I quoted clearly states there will be IP blocking.
2nd yes I AM STILL a member of the TCoS forums and have posted alot of info about the game so I continue to post on this forum as well as others about the launch,I dont see that as trolling simplying finishing what I started.
3rd I came on this thread as you are giving out wrong information about the launch it is clear,cut and dry about the IP blocking but you keep telling people it isnt.
Like I said read what I quoted from Banshee, there WILL be IP blocking.
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"
I've been following this game since mid summer and I've got to say that I've lost all interest in this game. At first it looked and seemed like a really cool idea. They owned the IP, the lore, etc. The gigantic schism from the industry standard with respect the class trinity (melee, arcanes, ranged). it all seemed pretty darn interesting. However, their PR/Advetisign is terrible. Were it not because I sub to MMORPG rss feed, I would've never know this game even existed. Their forums are pretty much dead; you see lots of posts but are from the same couple dozen people since last year. Then there's the combat system. Sure it's potentially uber cool; however, they should've learned from Tabula Rasa that reaction/twitch-based combat just does NOT mix well with MMOs at all. Disconn, network latency, client latency, etc. It will get a lot of people frustrated VERY fast. Skills will have little to do with it. It all will boil down to who's closer to the servers with the least numbers of hops and who has the quickest reflexes. It does nothing for strategy either. The fact that you can have a random long ping for couple hundred packets and you'll be pwned, should be deterrent enough for most people including what you call "hard-core gamers."
Then there's the biz decisions ... pretty terrible. Knowing they *won't* have a big player base, instead of consolidating them, they're splitting them. Way to go Spellborn NV!
I don't think I'll even waste my time downloading it and trying it out. There are just too many options in the MMO world nowadays to put up with subpar ideocyncracies.
I waited for about 3 years to get the opportunity to play this game and as some before me have stated TCoS have shot themselves in the foot. If they are focusing on elitist players with their quirky combat system and vague quest descriptions they will get just what they are aiming for; a very limited fan base. If they are hoping to survive, they should have designed a game based on something more familiar and readily player friendly.
I spent the first hour or so in the game with a 'guide' who did his best to lead me but failed miserably. The very first quest left me with some fuzzy instructions to go somewhere in a northerly direction and do some training. (Prior to getting some assistance I had already wasted another 3/4 of an hour just wandering around in some maze of streets trying to find a path that led north.) When I got to the training area even with help I was unable to get the quest to work.
When I voiced my concerns to the 'guide' he told me to give the game a chance! After spending more than an hour getting nowhere, I fealt I had given it more than a fair chance.
My recommendation to potential players is instead of giving it a chance; give it a pass.
I waited for about 3 years to get the opportunity to play this game and as some before me have stated TCoS have shot themselves in the foot. If they are focusing on elitist players with their quirky combat system and vague quest descriptions they will get just what they are aiming for; a very limited fan base. If they are hoping to survive, they should have designed a game based on something more familiar and readily player friendly. I spent the first hour or so in the game with a 'guide' who did his best to lead me but failed miserably. The very first quest left me with some fuzzy instructions to go somewhere in a northerly direction and do some training. (Prior to getting some assistance I had already wasted another 3/4 of an hour just wandering around in some maze of streets trying to find a path that led north.) When I got to the training area even with help I was unable to get the quest to work. When I voiced my concerns to the 'guide' he told me to give the game a chance! After spending more than an hour getting nowhere, I fealt I had given it more than a fair chance. My recommendation to potential players is instead of giving it a chance; give it a pass.
Im quite amazed that you got lost on your first quest. "head through the north gate to the training guy"..press M for map,look at the 2 gates on the picture and pick the north one..thats difficult?! Hows that elitist?
1st off try this link..I didnt give you a link in the previous post that was a quote from Banshee. http://tcos.com/sbforum/viewtopic.php?t=15296&start=45 Banshee as I quoted clearly states there will be IP blocking. 2nd yes I AM STILL a member of the TCoS forums and have posted alot of info about the game so I continue to post on this forum as well as others about the launch,I dont see that as trolling simplying finishing what I started. 3rd I came on this thread as you are giving out wrong information about the launch it is clear,cut and dry about the IP blocking but you keep telling people it isnt. Like I said read what I quoted from Banshee, there WILL be IP blocking.
Go back and read Banshee's posts on the subject. I am not telling false information at all. Banshee says clearly "Generally at the moment IP is checked when creating an account (with automatic redirection if IP is not valid). I cannot tell you at the moment how exactly that will work with in-game IP blocks, but likely they will be some measures in place as well." I want you to quote where I said there would NOT be IP blocks... I said we don't know yet how or where the blocks will be. We only know what they plan to block.
"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."
Read Banshee's coments and I quote(1 last time)
"people from the countries under Frogster/Mindscape will be not eligible (aka IP banned) from playing on Acclaim servers and Frogster/Mindscape will IP ban people from Acclaim territories."
Now if you cant understand that I cant help you,I wont answer you again as I am sick off it and I wont make myself a troll on your behalf.
<deleted too save myself a ban>
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"
I love th attitude of people who are so called hardcore TCOS fans. This forum for some reason reminds me of the earlier Saga Of Ryzom forums. Same elitiest attitude. This game is not for you and 'only for niche market' and other blah blah. Ryzom died twice and still no guarantee it will survive third time.
Why do i feel this community will drive a lot of player base away and than kill this game?
I waited for about 3 years to get the opportunity to play this game and as some before me have stated TCoS have shot themselves in the foot. If they are focusing on elitist players with their quirky combat system and vague quest descriptions they will get just what they are aiming for; a very limited fan base. If they are hoping to survive, they should have designed a game based on something more familiar and readily player friendly.
This sounds like a very reasonable prediction. One wonders why the developers of this game couldn't see it.
It's a good thing they're offered a free trial/free start whatever. Given the descriptions I've seen I wouldn't bother even looking at this game. will try the free trial just to see what's it's like, but if the MMORPG.COM review is accurate, I doubt I'll be playing it.
I like, and look forward to, all the game concepts that the reviewer detailed. Everything about this game screams original, smart and engaging. I can't freeking wait to try it.
I beta tested the game. My character name was Jorev. As a player looking for a game with intelligence, tactics, and skill, I can safely say that Spellborn fails.
So called Quests
The reviewer is completely wrong about quests being more involved and "hardcore". There are no real quests in Spellborn. A quest by definition is supposed to require exploration and problemsolving, something that is not required in 99% of the tasks in Spellborn.
The fed ex tasks consist of delivering messages and items, collecting x amount of an item, killing x type of foe, visiting x area, etc. Every questgiver and contact within the task chain has stupid unrealistic icons floating over their heads to easily identify them. Not only does this treat the gamer as too stupid to explore on their own and too lazy to interact with NPCs, it kills immersion of a real virtual world. A real quest system like classic Everquest did not identify questgivers with icons or glows.
The reviewer seemed to praise the fact there were no arrows pointing where to go on the minimap, suggesting all you had was a direction. This is very misleading. In most of the tasks, as you near the area you need to go to, there are dots on the minimap showing exactly where to go for the next contact person or item, and the mimap range is quite large. Again this kills exploration and immersion, because realistically that information should not exist ahead of time. A real quest system like classic Everquest had no minimap and only a sense heading skill to aid your true exploration.
The reviewer praises the alternate NPC response system available in most of the tasks based on a predetermined static response by the player, but correctly concedes it likely does not alter the given task and results, only perhaps omitting a possible clue. The reality is that you can skip all the pages of text that a NPC presents, because the last page copies into a task book and gives you enough information to complete the task. A real quest system like classic Everquest operated on a key word response system in order to generate information from NPCs. Sometimes what the NPCs said was fluff, sometimes lore, sometimes they would offer a quest or clues to another quest. The classic Everquest system compelled players to read and think about every NPC response because you never knew which NPC had quests to offer and where your next clue would come from. This information did not copy into a quest log. You had to remember it and decide if it had meaning and wether it should be pursued.
The task system in Spellborn is how you earn most of your experience aka fame. You earn very little fame from hunting mobs. This task system is another held by the hand, pulled by the nose, linear path which threads it's way from one zone to the next, just like WoW and it's clones which currently dominate the market unfortunately. VERY BORING.
Classic Everquest had the best quest system hands down and no one to date has copied it or improved on it, rather WoW and it's many clones have diminished open world questing to linear fed ex tasking. Sadly classic Everquest died long ago and the current bastardized version is just as lame as Spellborn. The motto of Spellborn is "What lies hidden must be found", but apparently hardly anything is hidden, rather made deliberately obvious.
Combat
This is the bright spot about Spellborn. By utilizing a directional crosshair combat system, Spellborn has added movement and targeting to combat, which enhances fighting, so skill and tactics actually matter. Why they then decided to limit one's choices of usable skills during combat to a tiered rotating interface is mindblowing. If I possess knowledge of 30 skills, I should have the freedom to use any one of them as long as the skill is available and not cooling down aka recycling. Apparently Spellborn felt players would be overwhelmed and are too stupid to pick from all known skills so they created a nifty interface to guide players while limiting their choices. Overall the combat is good, but fighting is not the focus of Spellborn, performing endless boring tasks is the focus.
PvP
During beta, PvP consisted of essentially random duels and the occassional griefing of players trying to run tasks in a PvP zone. It gets old fast. Without risk vs reward, PvP is meaningless. There is no significant death penalty in Spellborn, just a minor loss of small stat gains known as PeP, that you would have received previously from not dying. There is no looting of players, no titles awarded, no land conquered via RvR, so PvP in Spellborn fails.
During the course of the game, players are invited to join one of the 5 introductory NPC guild houses, and Spellborn staff have eluded to future PvP enhancements of the game to include RvR between these houses and their player members. This would be a great addition to give PvP a purpose, but to what end?
Since armor and weapons have no stats in Spellborn, there are no real items to be rewarded with, except Sigils which are minor stat additons. Since there is no real crafting in Spellborn, only a NPC that creates fluff items for looks or adds Sigils, there are no lands to be contested for harvested materials or mobs which drop items. So what will be the motivation for RvR PvP between the high houses? It is unknown at this time because it does not currently exist in the game and I for one have learned from past games not to place emphasis on promises of future content. Certainly promises of future content should not be relied upon for choosing or staying with a game.
I was an early beta tester on this... I will not be trying it out...
They originally had me hooked on their beautiful stories and puzzle games they had early on and I'm thinking IF they make the game like this, it will be wonderful... Talk about unmanaged expectations...
I can't fight in this system, I don't have the 'skills' for it and beyond that, if I wanted to play a FPS, I'd go play Halo or UT2K4 or something...
Again, what is this fascination with MMOFPSes lately?
It is so amazing to read people's posts in this thread complaining how the combat system is FPS when this genre is RPG, and how they should have learned from Tabula Rasa and known twitch base gaming doesnt belong in MMO's.
All of the people who think this way are clearly retarded and want every game that comes out from here on out to be WoW clones. In my opinion this game is being very very innovative but clearly to others they live for more of the same over and over again.
I really think it all boils down to the fact that 50% or more of the people that play MMO's do not possess actually video game skills I.e Aiming ability via mouse, Manuverability, quick thinking and so on. So when they read about a combat system based on player skill they get all scared and use the excuse "Sounds too weird to me, gonna pass on this one" like at least 5 people already have in this thread.
Lastly, to all the people complaining about getting stuck on Quests 1-3... or even quests 4, 5, 6, 7 you get my point... all I have to say is wow. You might wanna hire a tutor at your local Sylvan learning center because you must have an IQ of around 75. I think IQ should be added to the minimum and recommended requirements on all pc games... then all these retarded couldn't blame the game for their own stupidity.
I myself am looking forward to playing this game, I reached fame level 7 during the EU open beta and It was a lot of fun.
sorry, but you are wrong, I don't want a WoW clone as I think WoW sucks, but in a RPG genre, you shouldn't be using a system which rewards PLAYER ability to the extent that a FPS style of combat does. Nowhere should the players ability make THAT much difference (some, sure but their reflexes shouldn't be that important to something critical like AIMING.) Not all of us are as 'quick' as other or are on as fast a connection as others, that is the nice thing about a RPG, you get to pretend you are something else for awhile, something stronger, faster, etc for a short bit, if the limitiations of ones life begin to impede on the world, then you will lose a large section of your possible subscriber base. You may not like that, but it is true.
Personally, I liked Shadowbane, which was nothing like WoW. While it took SOME player skill, it was still the abilities of the character (not the player) to hit that were more important. FPS style of play is not a RPG, sorry but it isn't. That is my complaint about TCoS. They have some beautiful ideas (dress to impress, quests that a bit more fuzzy, etc) but the combat system is not one of them, IMO. I'm just not going to enjoy a game where my slow reflexes are going to lessen the fun factor of a game. Has nothing to do with intelligence, but rather understanding one's limitations and understanding that ones recreational time is important and how to get the most out of it.
Personally, I hope people do enjoy the game because everyone needs to have some way to enjoy their recreational time, but don't expect me to and to insult me because I don't see gaming the same way as you do, is in poor taste and highly out of line.
sorry, but you are wrong, I don't want a WoW clone as I think WoW sucks, but in a RPG genre, you shouldn't be using a system which rewards PLAYER ability to the extent that a FPS style of combat does. Nowhere should the players ability make THAT much difference (some, sure but their reflexes shouldn't be that important to something critical like AIMING.) Not all of us are as 'quick' as other or are on as fast a connection as others, that is the nice thing about a RPG, you get to pretend you are something else for awhile, something stronger, faster, etc for a short bit, if the limitiations of ones life begin to impede on the world, then you will lose a large section of your possible subscriber base. You may not like that, but it is true. Personally, I liked Shadowbane, which was nothing like WoW. While it took SOME player skill, it was still the abilities of the character (not the player) to hit that were more important. FPS style of play is not a RPG, sorry but it isn't. That is my complaint about TCoS. They have some beautiful ideas (dress to impress, quests that a bit more fuzzy, etc) but the combat system is not one of them, IMO. I'm just not going to enjoy a game where my slow reflexes are going to lessen the fun factor of a game. Has nothing to do with intelligence, but rather understanding one's limitations and understanding that ones recreational time is important and how to get the most out of it. Personally, I hope people do enjoy the game because everyone needs to have some way to enjoy their recreational time, but don't expect me to and to insult me because I don't see gaming the same way as you do, is in poor taste and highly out of line.
I am sorry, but where is this book of rules which says an MMORPG has to use a combat system for old people who apparently can't play video games? Incase you didn't know, but this is a video game, not one of your D&D roleplaying sessions which it is obvious you have been to. Also incase you didn't notice, but if you step outside of RPG's most video games require the player to have skill. Like I said above there is no rule that says if a game has RPG in its title it cannot mesh together other games from other genres.
Its quite laughable that you say that "Nowhere should the players ability make THAT much difference (some, sure but their reflexes shouldn't be that important to something critical like AIMING.)"
Again crawl out from your D&D book and look at the real world. Sports are a perfect example... its all about competition and individual skill. The only difference between real life sports and video games is that video games can be played in your underwear.
I dont understand how or why you think this game is for you, you state over and over how your apparently "slow".... who's fault is that. Either play more actual video games and build your skill up or stay away from TCOS unless you can live with being a mediocre player at best.
But in the end, it doesn't matter as I'm done with this discussion. You and I have different opinions about games and their purpose and those opinions aren't going to be changes through our banter, and will probably serve more to getting us into trouble than us agreeing.
As I also said above, I hope that TCoS is a success. People need a game they find enjoyable (even if it isnt' for everyone) if they choose to spend their time in games. If this is true for you, then I do hope that you have a long, enjoyable time in the game.
But beyond that, perhaps it will break others out of the proverbial WoW box too.
I am sorry, but where is this book of rules which says an MMORPG has to use a combat system for old people who apparently can't play video games? Its quite laughable that you say that "Nowhere should the players ability make THAT much difference (some, sure but their reflexes shouldn't be that important to something critical like AIMING.)" Laughable indeed! You fail at understanding the concept of the ROLEplaying part of the RPG. Again crawl out from your D&D book and look at the real world. Sports are a perfect example... its all about competition and individual skill. The only difference between real life sports and video games is that video games can be played in your underwear. If you think the only difference between real life football and Madden Football is that you play it in your underwear you need to get out more. Go show the nice 260lb Defensive Lineman your "skills" while you wiggle your fingers getting away from him... Laughable indeed....
A game that uses FPS elements can be great fun. It's not an RPG though. As I said previously, the Ranger/Archer character that I am ROLEPLAYING has a lot more skill with the bow he's been using for 20 years of his life, than I do. I couldn't shoot a moving target with a bow if my life depended on it. I'd hope that heroic character I'm ROLEplaying would be much better at it though...
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
I am sorry, but where is this book of rules which says an MMORPG has to use a combat system for old people who apparently can't play video games? Its quite laughable that you say that "Nowhere should the players ability make THAT much difference (some, sure but their reflexes shouldn't be that important to something critical like AIMING.)" Laughable indeed! You fail at understanding the concept of the ROLEplaying part of the RPG. Clearly you think this is still the 90s when your choices are between Everquest and Ultima Online. However this is the year 2008 and MMORPG has become a term that is used to describe any game which features persistant characters and the support for thousands of users at a single time. Like it or not, if you want to roleplay go play D&D in your mothers basement. Again crawl out from your D&D book and look at the real world. Sports are a perfect example... its all about competition and individual skill. The only difference between real life sports and video games is that video games can be played in your underwear. If you think the only difference between real life football and Madden Football is that you play it in your underwear you need to get out more. Go show the nice 260lb Defensive Lineman your "skills" while you wiggle your fingers getting away from him... Laughable indeed.... Clearly this was an example to show that player ability SHOULD make a huge difference in determining the outcome of a PVP fight. My example was that in real life sports individual skill exist and it should as well in video games. Also in no way did I compare real life football to madden your clearly just a moron.
A game that uses FPS elements can be great fun. It's not an RPG though. As I said previously, the Ranger/Archer character that I am ROLEPLAYING has a lot more skill with the bow he's been using for 20 years of his life, than I do. I couldn't shoot a moving target with a bow if my life depended on it. I'd hope that heroic character I'm ROLEplaying would be much better at it though...
Im not sure if mommy didn't tell you, but Santa Clause isn't real and neither is your level 20 Ranger/Archer. Again if you wanna roleplay do it in your mothers basement, cause If you come across me in Spellborn I'll send you home crying as you shout "lightining bolt" "lightining bolt" and nothing happens.
Clearly you think this is still the 90s when your choices are between Everquest and Ultima Online. However this is the year 2008 and MMORPG has become a term that is used to describe any game which features persistant characters and the support for thousands of users at a single time. Like it or not, if you want to roleplay go play D&D in your mothers basement.
OK.. I'm not going to argue with someone who is obviously a kid and who's main point seems to be that Roleplaying is stupid and has no place in an MMORPG...
How do you argue with someone like that?
PS- If you're going to mock a person do yourself a favor and learn how to spell the word before you use it TWICE.
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
Hmm, It's a great shame that they went this route with the Quests.
I think it's a step backward in usability and user interface, as I do not enjoy wandering aimlessly looking for NPCs to return quests to, or for quest locations. Especially not when I return to a game after a week or two and have to try to remember everything.
Just as with games before it, all this is going to foster is people building websites with all the quest locations on it. Players will be forced to Alt - Tab out of the game to read these sites to find out where things are.
That's what will happen.
Instead, what they should have done is make these things optional, so a player that does not want to have these quest targets activated can turn it off, and the player that does want them on can leave them on. Everyone gets to play the game the way they want to without bothering anyone else.
It really is a shame, that for a game that seems to be trying to innovate they took such a backward step in usability.
A cat has very fast reflexes but a very small brain, and ultimately it is our brains and intelligence that set us apart in the animal kingdom and establish our supremacy over the planet.
Games that rely on reflexes are more for people who have attention deficit disorder. A game that requires tactics and strategy is deeper and ultimately more rewarding. Atleast for me.
Comments
You dont have to spell anything out for me sunshine but maybe try reading the official forums.......
As I have explained in the other thread: http://www.tcos.com/sbforum/viewtopic.php?p=233188#233188 people from the countries under Frogster/Mindscape will be not eligible (aka IP banned) from playing on Acclaim servers and Frogster/Mindscape will IP ban people from Acclaim territories.
Also, since we have a couple of thread on the matter as it is and this one moves towards personal bickering, here comes the lock.
_________________
Banshee
English Community Manager
The Chronicles of Spellborn
This is the way it will be so again,whats your point?
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
What?
In that link, Banshee basically says he/she does not know how they will "block" other than through account registration. But that is besides the point. Can you not freaking read???
My points easily laid out for the freaking retarded!!!!
The game release is dynamic. With every day the information about release changes. The distribution of TCoS is a goat screw. The statements made previously in the thread are now FALSE. Nobody, not even Banshee and Mirage, know how this release is going to happen with any certainty anymore.
So, my recommendation to the Euros who have their panties in a bunch over this release: wait until after release and see for yourself.
And finally, you were an active member of TCoS forum who is stating he will not play. So why are you trolling me with vague questions about nothing and derailing a perfectly good thread?
Yep, I think it's definitely worth a look. Seems like they're trying to be a bit different, so good on them.
I make spreadsheets at work - I don't want to make them for the games I play.
1st off try this link..I didnt give you a link in the previous post that was a quote from Banshee.
http://tcos.com/sbforum/viewtopic.php?t=15296&start=45
Banshee as I quoted clearly states there will be IP blocking.
2nd yes I AM STILL a member of the TCoS forums and have posted alot of info about the game so I continue to post on this forum as well as others about the launch,I dont see that as trolling simplying finishing what I started.
3rd I came on this thread as you are giving out wrong information about the launch it is clear,cut and dry about the IP blocking but you keep telling people it isnt.
Like I said read what I quoted from Banshee, there WILL be IP blocking.
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
I've been following this game since mid summer and I've got to say that I've lost all interest in this game. At first it looked and seemed like a really cool idea. They owned the IP, the lore, etc. The gigantic schism from the industry standard with respect the class trinity (melee, arcanes, ranged). it all seemed pretty darn interesting. However, their PR/Advetisign is terrible. Were it not because I sub to MMORPG rss feed, I would've never know this game even existed. Their forums are pretty much dead; you see lots of posts but are from the same couple dozen people since last year. Then there's the combat system. Sure it's potentially uber cool; however, they should've learned from Tabula Rasa that reaction/twitch-based combat just does NOT mix well with MMOs at all. Disconn, network latency, client latency, etc. It will get a lot of people frustrated VERY fast. Skills will have little to do with it. It all will boil down to who's closer to the servers with the least numbers of hops and who has the quickest reflexes. It does nothing for strategy either. The fact that you can have a random long ping for couple hundred packets and you'll be pwned, should be deterrent enough for most people including what you call "hard-core gamers."
Then there's the biz decisions ... pretty terrible. Knowing they *won't* have a big player base, instead of consolidating them, they're splitting them. Way to go Spellborn NV!
I don't think I'll even waste my time downloading it and trying it out. There are just too many options in the MMO world nowadays to put up with subpar ideocyncracies.
Peace.
I waited for about 3 years to get the opportunity to play this game and as some before me have stated TCoS have shot themselves in the foot. If they are focusing on elitist players with their quirky combat system and vague quest descriptions they will get just what they are aiming for; a very limited fan base. If they are hoping to survive, they should have designed a game based on something more familiar and readily player friendly.
I spent the first hour or so in the game with a 'guide' who did his best to lead me but failed miserably. The very first quest left me with some fuzzy instructions to go somewhere in a northerly direction and do some training. (Prior to getting some assistance I had already wasted another 3/4 of an hour just wandering around in some maze of streets trying to find a path that led north.) When I got to the training area even with help I was unable to get the quest to work.
When I voiced my concerns to the 'guide' he told me to give the game a chance! After spending more than an hour getting nowhere, I fealt I had given it more than a fair chance.
My recommendation to potential players is instead of giving it a chance; give it a pass.
Im quite amazed that you got lost on your first quest. "head through the north gate to the training guy"..press M for map,look at the 2 gates on the picture and pick the north one..thats difficult?! Hows that elitist?
Go back and read Banshee's posts on the subject. I am not telling false information at all. Banshee says clearly "Generally at the moment IP is checked when creating an account (with automatic redirection if IP is not valid). I cannot tell you at the moment how exactly that will work with in-game IP blocks, but likely they will be some measures in place as well." I want you to quote where I said there would NOT be IP blocks... I said we don't know yet how or where the blocks will be. We only know what they plan to block.
Man you really want to pull this out dont you?
You said-
"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."
Read Banshee's coments and I quote(1 last time)
"people from the countries under Frogster/Mindscape will be not eligible (aka IP banned) from playing on Acclaim servers and Frogster/Mindscape will IP ban people from Acclaim territories."
Now if you cant understand that I cant help you,I wont answer you again as I am sick off it and I wont make myself a troll on your behalf.
<deleted too save myself a ban>
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
I love th attitude of people who are so called hardcore TCOS fans. This forum for some reason reminds me of the earlier Saga Of Ryzom forums. Same elitiest attitude. This game is not for you and 'only for niche market' and other blah blah. Ryzom died twice and still no guarantee it will survive third time.
Why do i feel this community will drive a lot of player base away and than kill this game?
This sounds like a very reasonable prediction. One wonders why the developers of this game couldn't see it.
It's a good thing they're offered a free trial/free start whatever. Given the descriptions I've seen I wouldn't bother even looking at this game. will try the free trial just to see what's it's like, but if the MMORPG.COM review is accurate, I doubt I'll be playing it.
I agree, it's worth trying out.
I like, and look forward to, all the game concepts that the reviewer detailed. Everything about this game screams original, smart and engaging. I can't freeking wait to try it.
I couldn't disagree more with this review.
I beta tested the game. My character name was Jorev. As a player looking for a game with intelligence, tactics, and skill, I can safely say that Spellborn fails.
So called Quests
The reviewer is completely wrong about quests being more involved and "hardcore". There are no real quests in Spellborn. A quest by definition is supposed to require exploration and problemsolving, something that is not required in 99% of the tasks in Spellborn.
The fed ex tasks consist of delivering messages and items, collecting x amount of an item, killing x type of foe, visiting x area, etc. Every questgiver and contact within the task chain has stupid unrealistic icons floating over their heads to easily identify them. Not only does this treat the gamer as too stupid to explore on their own and too lazy to interact with NPCs, it kills immersion of a real virtual world. A real quest system like classic Everquest did not identify questgivers with icons or glows.
The reviewer seemed to praise the fact there were no arrows pointing where to go on the minimap, suggesting all you had was a direction. This is very misleading. In most of the tasks, as you near the area you need to go to, there are dots on the minimap showing exactly where to go for the next contact person or item, and the mimap range is quite large. Again this kills exploration and immersion, because realistically that information should not exist ahead of time. A real quest system like classic Everquest had no minimap and only a sense heading skill to aid your true exploration.
The reviewer praises the alternate NPC response system available in most of the tasks based on a predetermined static response by the player, but correctly concedes it likely does not alter the given task and results, only perhaps omitting a possible clue. The reality is that you can skip all the pages of text that a NPC presents, because the last page copies into a task book and gives you enough information to complete the task. A real quest system like classic Everquest operated on a key word response system in order to generate information from NPCs. Sometimes what the NPCs said was fluff, sometimes lore, sometimes they would offer a quest or clues to another quest. The classic Everquest system compelled players to read and think about every NPC response because you never knew which NPC had quests to offer and where your next clue would come from. This information did not copy into a quest log. You had to remember it and decide if it had meaning and wether it should be pursued.
The task system in Spellborn is how you earn most of your experience aka fame. You earn very little fame from hunting mobs. This task system is another held by the hand, pulled by the nose, linear path which threads it's way from one zone to the next, just like WoW and it's clones which currently dominate the market unfortunately. VERY BORING.
Classic Everquest had the best quest system hands down and no one to date has copied it or improved on it, rather WoW and it's many clones have diminished open world questing to linear fed ex tasking. Sadly classic Everquest died long ago and the current bastardized version is just as lame as Spellborn. The motto of Spellborn is "What lies hidden must be found", but apparently hardly anything is hidden, rather made deliberately obvious.
Combat
This is the bright spot about Spellborn. By utilizing a directional crosshair combat system, Spellborn has added movement and targeting to combat, which enhances fighting, so skill and tactics actually matter. Why they then decided to limit one's choices of usable skills during combat to a tiered rotating interface is mindblowing. If I possess knowledge of 30 skills, I should have the freedom to use any one of them as long as the skill is available and not cooling down aka recycling. Apparently Spellborn felt players would be overwhelmed and are too stupid to pick from all known skills so they created a nifty interface to guide players while limiting their choices. Overall the combat is good, but fighting is not the focus of Spellborn, performing endless boring tasks is the focus.
PvP
During beta, PvP consisted of essentially random duels and the occassional griefing of players trying to run tasks in a PvP zone. It gets old fast. Without risk vs reward, PvP is meaningless. There is no significant death penalty in Spellborn, just a minor loss of small stat gains known as PeP, that you would have received previously from not dying. There is no looting of players, no titles awarded, no land conquered via RvR, so PvP in Spellborn fails.
During the course of the game, players are invited to join one of the 5 introductory NPC guild houses, and Spellborn staff have eluded to future PvP enhancements of the game to include RvR between these houses and their player members. This would be a great addition to give PvP a purpose, but to what end?
Since armor and weapons have no stats in Spellborn, there are no real items to be rewarded with, except Sigils which are minor stat additons. Since there is no real crafting in Spellborn, only a NPC that creates fluff items for looks or adds Sigils, there are no lands to be contested for harvested materials or mobs which drop items. So what will be the motivation for RvR PvP between the high houses? It is unknown at this time because it does not currently exist in the game and I for one have learned from past games not to place emphasis on promises of future content. Certainly promises of future content should not be relied upon for choosing or staying with a game.
I was an early beta tester on this... I will not be trying it out...
They originally had me hooked on their beautiful stories and puzzle games they had early on and I'm thinking IF they make the game like this, it will be wonderful... Talk about unmanaged expectations...
I can't fight in this system, I don't have the 'skills' for it and beyond that, if I wanted to play a FPS, I'd go play Halo or UT2K4 or something...
Again, what is this fascination with MMOFPSes lately?
It is so amazing to read people's posts in this thread complaining how the combat system is FPS when this genre is RPG, and how they should have learned from Tabula Rasa and known twitch base gaming doesnt belong in MMO's.
All of the people who think this way are clearly retarded and want every game that comes out from here on out to be WoW clones. In my opinion this game is being very very innovative but clearly to others they live for more of the same over and over again.
I really think it all boils down to the fact that 50% or more of the people that play MMO's do not possess actually video game skills I.e Aiming ability via mouse, Manuverability, quick thinking and so on. So when they read about a combat system based on player skill they get all scared and use the excuse "Sounds too weird to me, gonna pass on this one" like at least 5 people already have in this thread.
Lastly, to all the people complaining about getting stuck on Quests 1-3... or even quests 4, 5, 6, 7 you get my point... all I have to say is wow. You might wanna hire a tutor at your local Sylvan learning center because you must have an IQ of around 75. I think IQ should be added to the minimum and recommended requirements on all pc games... then all these retarded couldn't blame the game for their own stupidity.
I myself am looking forward to playing this game, I reached fame level 7 during the EU open beta and It was a lot of fun.
sorry, but you are wrong, I don't want a WoW clone as I think WoW sucks, but in a RPG genre, you shouldn't be using a system which rewards PLAYER ability to the extent that a FPS style of combat does. Nowhere should the players ability make THAT much difference (some, sure but their reflexes shouldn't be that important to something critical like AIMING.) Not all of us are as 'quick' as other or are on as fast a connection as others, that is the nice thing about a RPG, you get to pretend you are something else for awhile, something stronger, faster, etc for a short bit, if the limitiations of ones life begin to impede on the world, then you will lose a large section of your possible subscriber base. You may not like that, but it is true.
Personally, I liked Shadowbane, which was nothing like WoW. While it took SOME player skill, it was still the abilities of the character (not the player) to hit that were more important. FPS style of play is not a RPG, sorry but it isn't. That is my complaint about TCoS. They have some beautiful ideas (dress to impress, quests that a bit more fuzzy, etc) but the combat system is not one of them, IMO. I'm just not going to enjoy a game where my slow reflexes are going to lessen the fun factor of a game. Has nothing to do with intelligence, but rather understanding one's limitations and understanding that ones recreational time is important and how to get the most out of it.
Personally, I hope people do enjoy the game because everyone needs to have some way to enjoy their recreational time, but don't expect me to and to insult me because I don't see gaming the same way as you do, is in poor taste and highly out of line.
I am sorry, but where is this book of rules which says an MMORPG has to use a combat system for old people who apparently can't play video games? Incase you didn't know, but this is a video game, not one of your D&D roleplaying sessions which it is obvious you have been to. Also incase you didn't notice, but if you step outside of RPG's most video games require the player to have skill. Like I said above there is no rule that says if a game has RPG in its title it cannot mesh together other games from other genres.
Its quite laughable that you say that "Nowhere should the players ability make THAT much difference (some, sure but their reflexes shouldn't be that important to something critical like AIMING.)"
Again crawl out from your D&D book and look at the real world. Sports are a perfect example... its all about competition and individual skill. The only difference between real life sports and video games is that video games can be played in your underwear.
I dont understand how or why you think this game is for you, you state over and over how your apparently "slow".... who's fault is that. Either play more actual video games and build your skill up or stay away from TCOS unless you can live with being a mediocre player at best.
<removed by poster>
But in the end, it doesn't matter as I'm done with this discussion. You and I have different opinions about games and their purpose and those opinions aren't going to be changes through our banter, and will probably serve more to getting us into trouble than us agreeing.
As I also said above, I hope that TCoS is a success. People need a game they find enjoyable (even if it isnt' for everyone) if they choose to spend their time in games. If this is true for you, then I do hope that you have a long, enjoyable time in the game.
But beyond that, perhaps it will break others out of the proverbial WoW box too.
A game that uses FPS elements can be great fun. It's not an RPG though. As I said previously, the Ranger/Archer character that I am ROLEPLAYING has a lot more skill with the bow he's been using for 20 years of his life, than I do. I couldn't shoot a moving target with a bow if my life depended on it. I'd hope that heroic character I'm ROLEplaying would be much better at it though...
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
A game that uses FPS elements can be great fun. It's not an RPG though. As I said previously, the Ranger/Archer character that I am ROLEPLAYING has a lot more skill with the bow he's been using for 20 years of his life, than I do. I couldn't shoot a moving target with a bow if my life depended on it. I'd hope that heroic character I'm ROLEplaying would be much better at it though...
Im not sure if mommy didn't tell you, but Santa Clause isn't real and neither is your level 20 Ranger/Archer. Again if you wanna roleplay do it in your mothers basement, cause If you come across me in Spellborn I'll send you home crying as you shout "lightining bolt" "lightining bolt" and nothing happens.
OK.. I'm not going to argue with someone who is obviously a kid and who's main point seems to be that Roleplaying is stupid and has no place in an MMORPG...
How do you argue with someone like that?
PS- If you're going to mock a person do yourself a favor and learn how to spell the word before you use it TWICE.
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
Hmm, It's a great shame that they went this route with the Quests.
I think it's a step backward in usability and user interface, as I do not enjoy wandering aimlessly looking for NPCs to return quests to, or for quest locations. Especially not when I return to a game after a week or two and have to try to remember everything.
Just as with games before it, all this is going to foster is people building websites with all the quest locations on it. Players will be forced to Alt - Tab out of the game to read these sites to find out where things are.
That's what will happen.
Instead, what they should have done is make these things optional, so a player that does not want to have these quest targets activated can turn it off, and the player that does want them on can leave them on. Everyone gets to play the game the way they want to without bothering anyone else.
It really is a shame, that for a game that seems to be trying to innovate they took such a backward step in usability.
A cat has very fast reflexes but a very small brain, and ultimately it is our brains and intelligence that set us apart in the animal kingdom and establish our supremacy over the planet.
Games that rely on reflexes are more for people who have attention deficit disorder. A game that requires tactics and strategy is deeper and ultimately more rewarding. Atleast for me.