The rifts are just fun -when was the last time I thought that about something.
That pretty much sums it up. I also noticed that during mass combat, they somehow shut off some spell effects and what not to prevent lag, it's pretty awesome. I hope they take the RIFT technology and utilize it for live events, that would be awesome.
Rift has horrible animation, horrible graphics (it scales 3D distance in a very odd way like Warhammer Online's engine but worse, where things get gradually crunch-pixelized as they zoom out, even in 1920 res), it has lifeless quest dialogue and goals (very similar quest dialogue to Hellgate London), and the typical gameplay monotony is felt in your bones right from the starting zone.
With that said, I will give Rift credit for its attempt at multiclass customization and the design of the dynamic rifts on the map and the way that the rift monsters will take over the land if left unchecked. The rifts really add meaning to fighting for a cause, and I congratulate Trion for bringing something fresh in that regard.
Unfortunately, there isn't enough "fresh" in this game for me to recommend it to anyone. The best way I can describe this game is if you were to combine Warhammer Online with Dungeons and Dragons Online. There's potential, and it's intriguing, but ultimately isn't worth investing the time in (imo). I purchased the game and I don't regret it because I am glad I saw the rift system and class system, but I won't be subscribing past the initial month.
The thing with Rift is I honestly DON'T see what it does better or WHY I should play it over WoW or especially upcoming titles like Guild Wars 2, TERA, and SW:TOR.
Of course, I never understood why WoW was such a big deal until close to five years after its release, so if Rift retains a great portion of its launch success, it may grow on me.
This has to be answered on a person to person basis. The reason why I play this game and i would not play WoW is
1) The world and story is much more immersive IMO. If people dont agree or dont care about lore then thats fine. But for ME its waaaay more immersive then the WoW story and world
2) The class system. My rouge can tanl, support/heal or dps on a whim and each role has 3 trees for me to play with. This to me is a much better system then WoW's boring class system.
3) Rifts provide that little extra while questing the at least for me truely makes a diffrerence and leveling doesnt seem like a job.
Everything else to me is exactly the same as WoW and i really wish they would have taken some chances to enhance some systems.
Playing: PO, EVE Waiting for: WoD Favourite MMOs: VG, EVE, FE and DDO Any person who expresses rage and loathing for an MMO is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.
But.. the point to write would have to be none of these are actually anything new. If I were to be honest with you Rift isn't good enough to hold a high retail price purchase and sub from me. It is just another WoW/EQ re-working ad there just isn't enough. I think with games like EQ2, LoTRO, and DDO all offering a lot of game, similar graphics and a fantasy mmo alternative to WoW at a more economic price for players then I would put my time in there. 2011 will be the stellar year for Bioware with Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, and SW:TOR...players looking for the next big thing should head there, though I guess there is also GW2 coimng possibly end of this year too, though it may possibly end up in 2012..
(sorry about the strange typos folks..need to stop posting with Webkit2)
Rift has horrible animation, horrible graphics (it scales 3D distance in a very odd way like Warhammer Online's engine but worse, where things get gradually crunch-pixelized as they zoom out, even in 1920 res), it has lifeless quest dialogue and goals (very similar quest dialogue to Hellgate London), and the typical gameplay monotony is felt in your bones right from the starting zone.
With that said, I will give Rift credit for its attempt at multiclass customization and the design of the dynamic rifts on the map and the way that the rift monsters will take over the land if left unchecked. The rifts really add meaning to fighting for a cause, and I congratulate Trion for bringing something fresh in that regard.
Unfortunately, there isn't enough "fresh" in this game for me to recommend it to anyone. The best way I can describe this game is if you were to combine Warhammer Online with Dungeons and Dragons Online. There's potential, and it's intriguing, but ultimately isn't worth investing the time in (imo). I purchased the game and I don't regret it because I am glad I saw the rift system and class system, but I won't be subscribing past the initial month.
I agree that distance is sometimes frustrating. It's suddenly like everything appears but animations seem better than the majority of games I've played? I fought a Troll the other night. 10 ft tall and when it died, it fell down and then tried to get back up, spiders curl up like real spiders when they die, skellies heads come off, fire creatures explode and my characters run a little silly but they also move their swords and spells with more character and realism than most MMORPGs out there? From Oblivion to Conan I've seen alot worse? To me the graphics are very immersive but to each their own?
It doesn't seem to long ago that I was playing EQ and Might and Magic where you could barely tell which creature you were fighting, much less see them die in a semi-convinving way. Did I miss something along the way better than Rift?
Rift has horrible animation, horrible graphics (it scales 3D distance in a very odd way like Warhammer Online's engine but worse, where things get gradually crunch-pixelized as they zoom out, even in 1920 res), it has lifeless quest dialogue and goals (very similar quest dialogue to Hellgate London), and the typical gameplay monotony is felt in your bones right from the starting zone.
With that said, I will give Rift credit for its attempt at multiclass customization and the design of the dynamic rifts on the map and the way that the rift monsters will take over the land if left unchecked. The rifts really add meaning to fighting for a cause, and I congratulate Trion for bringing something fresh in that regard.
Unfortunately, there isn't enough "fresh" in this game for me to recommend it to anyone. The best way I can describe this game is if you were to combine Warhammer Online with Dungeons and Dragons Online. There's potential, and it's intriguing, but ultimately isn't worth investing the time in (imo). I purchased the game and I don't regret it because I am glad I saw the rift system and class system, but I won't be subscribing past the initial month.
Rift has bad graphics compared to what? Real life? you're not going to find any mmo as polished as rift with the same level of graphics and animation.
Not everyone is going to love Rift, but your arguments are just wrong.
I've personally not made my mind up yet about Rift, I'm playing it atm but not blown away, but it's probably because I'm in the club that is waiting for something that aint another EQ styled mmo with the same old classes over and over.
Rift has horrible animation, horrible graphics (it scales 3D distance in a very odd way like Warhammer Online's engine but worse, where things get gradually crunch-pixelized as they zoom out, even in 1920 res), it has lifeless quest dialogue and goals (very similar quest dialogue to Hellgate London), and the typical gameplay monotony is felt in your bones right from the starting zone.
With that said, I will give Rift credit for its attempt at multiclass customization and the design of the dynamic rifts on the map and the way that the rift monsters will take over the land if left unchecked. The rifts really add meaning to fighting for a cause, and I congratulate Trion for bringing something fresh in that regard.
Unfortunately, there isn't enough "fresh" in this game for me to recommend it to anyone. The best way I can describe this game is if you were to combine Warhammer Online with Dungeons and Dragons Online. There's potential, and it's intriguing, but ultimately isn't worth investing the time in (imo). I purchased the game and I don't regret it because I am glad I saw the rift system and class system, but I won't be subscribing past the initial month.
I agree that distance is sometimes frustrating. It's suddenly like everything appears but animations seem better than the majority of games I've played? I fought a Troll the other night. 10 ft tall and when it died, it fell down and then tried to get back up, spiders curl up like real spiders when they die, skellies heads come off, fire creatures explode and my characters run a little silly but they also move their swords and spells with more character and realism than most MMORPGs out there? From Oblivion to Conan I've seen alot worse? To me the graphics are very immersive but to each their own?
It doesn't seem to long ago that I was playing EQ and Might and Magic where you could barely tell which creature you were fighting, much less see them die in a semi-convinving way. Did I miss something along the way better than Rift?
I agree with you.
Oh, there are a few animations that seem a bit stiff like the 2 handed weapon animation but I don't see what others are seeing when they say Rift has bad animations.
I think I can point to bad animations in every game.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
The thing with Rift is I honestly DON'T see what it does better or WHY I should play it over WoW or especially upcoming titles like Guild Wars 2, TERA, and SW:TOR.
Of course, I never understood why WoW was such a big deal until close to five years after its release, so if Rift retains a great portion of its launch success, it may grow on me.
This has to be answered on a person to person basis. The reason why I play this game and i would not play WoW is
1) The world and story is much more immersive IMO. If people dont agree or dont care about lore then thats fine. But for ME its waaaay more immersive then the WoW story and world
2) The class system. My rouge can tanl, support/heal or dps on a whim and each role has 3 trees for me to play with. This to me is a much better system then WoW's boring class system.
3) Rifts provide that little extra while questing the at least for me truely makes a diffrerence and leveling doesnt seem like a job.
Everything else to me is exactly the same as WoW and i really wish they would have taken some chances to enhance some systems.
I think point 3 needs more expansion. It isn't just Rifts acting like public quests. it's also the invasions they spawn, and the consequent footholds that come from the invasions.
If you don't close a rift fast enough, invaders come out in waves. These forces head towards quest hubs, and if not killed they will take over the quest hubs and setup footholds. The footholds behave like additional mini spawnpoints that will gradually become tougher to clear out if you allow the invaders to fortify.
Per example of what can happen... Just last night I was minding my business questing, heading back to a quest hub to clear out my completed quests. Shortly after I ran back into the town, a huge invasion force of earth elementals decended over the town like an avalanche. It was chaos, the NPCs in addition to some scattered players who were unfortunate enough to get caught up in the assault tried to fight back in vain but were quickly killed, which allowed the invaders to destroy the town's protection crystal. With this deed done, the invaders then began spawning their own foothold.
Before the foothold of the invaders had become too powerful however, the players regrouped and rallied together to organize a counter-attack. Having defeated the invaders after a lengthy battle, we turned our attention to the origin of the attackers and made our way toward the major tear that had still been pouring out invasion forces the entire time. We encountered a couple more waves of invaders along the way, but as we were no match for our combined forces now that we were organized. Upon reaching the rift, were were able to successfully battle through it's phases and close it, ending the swarms of invaders that had been pouring out.
When it was all said and done, it was at least a half-hour later. My bags were filled to the brim with planar loot recovered from the invaders and closer the rift they had been coming from. The town that had been invaded was recovering, the NPCs coming back and the defenses gradually increasing again.
So yes, rifts definitely do add that "little" extra to break up the monotony between quests.
Personally, I think anyone that enjoys the "norm" MMOs should give Rift a try. I think you'll get 30 days of fun, and if you stick with it because you like it, there you go.
If you are a big themepark sandbox fan, you might not enjoy the game. You can't craft the same four houses, you can't build towns, you can't murder anyone around you, you don't level up skills hitting on mobs all day.
Just play any game to have fun. If people would try things out and form their own opinions before being influenced well before hand, you might just have more fun all the time.
Pretty solid articles. Also other people need to realize by this time in Aion and Warhammer
people were already starting to rage.
I just do not see the screaming on the forums like you would expect. One or two threads saying this or that is op, but no "my system crashed" from like 1,000's of people.
The game is just playing smooth and it lets you set your pace. If you want to rush to 50, then
go grind instances. If you want slow and steady go click ever quest giver you find.
I respect EQ players and when I see their guilds saying the end game is very good, then I know I have something to look forward too.
SWToR and GW2 are brand names guys. Star Wars has what...30 years of advertising. Guild
wars has what 7 years? Rift had basically ONE MONTH and has honestly probably hit the 1mil mark and it appears to have survivability which is amazing.
I think Trion took a stagnant genre and put new life into it and people are mad about it. Up until 2 months ago Blizzard was telling everyone that certain things were not possible and
now Trion just drops it on the market and people are just shocked.
I am having a fun time playing Rift too. Given I have little spare time (running this site and helping raise a 1 year old with a 7 month preggo wife = no time) I have only managed to eek my way up to level 19 so far with a Mage - probably averaging about 1 hour per day. The other night I got a chance to group up with Ben (my co-owner in the site) for about 3 hours and I probably had the most fun I have had in an MMO in many years. Makes me wish I were 20 years old and single again!
This staff member would give Rift a thumbs up. I look forward to seeing how Trion evolves this game being that at launch it seems to have the kind of quality most games either never reach or reach after years of patching.
The next game I really want to try out is Xsyon as it seems to have that open sandbox style that the other half of my MMO brain craves. I think it is great for the MMO industry that we have these two titles launching at the same general time and both cater to different player types.
- MMORPG.COM Staff -
The dead know only one thing: it is better to be alive.
"If you are a big themepark sandbox fan, you might not enjoy the game. "
Wash, Rinse, Repeat...
Rift is exactly that. It looks nicer than WoW, but so did AoC and it was Wash, Rinse, Repeat. I played in the beta and that was my experience. It looked good, the soul system was nice, there was a plot of sorts, and so forth.
The key to liberating my coins from my pouch and to sustain my interest, however, is to come up with something different, something immersive. The quote above seems to point to the real competition, the mark that most games released fail to hit, that is, the ability to create the world around you. No successful game since SWG was able to do that.
I can't help but wonder what the game would have been like if Jon Van Caneghem hadn't gotten overthrown. I seem to recall sandbox being part of the equation.
The thing with Rift is I honestly DON'T see what it does better or WHY I should play it over WoW or especially upcoming titles like Guild Wars 2, TERA, and SW:TOR.
Of course, I never understood why WoW was such a big deal until close to five years after its release, so if Rift retains a great portion of its launch success, it may grow on me.
Maybe I can answer that. To a point.
I have a WoW character that I made at Launch. After waiting in a queue. It is probably somewhere in its 30's. I've enjoyed the small bits I've played in WoW but I just can't play it for too long.
Rift on the other hand: I have a character that started a few days after head start began, Friday, and it's half way through 23. Only a few days with the character as opposed to years.
What is the difference?
WoW is cutsey at times, tongue in cheek "nudge nudge wink wink" humor, whimsical art design and it just grates on me.
Though rift does have some nods to popular culture they don't hit you in the face. The art design is for the most part, not cutesy. The rifts and invasions break up what can be monotonous questing.
Being able to switch my character in a a second or two so I can fulfill a role means I don't have to reroll another character.
For me the game is less whimsical, cutsey and allows for a customization that I enjoy. And it's only launch. i am willing to give it a bit of time in order to add more content or flesh out old content.
So for me, WoW has too much sugar. Rift removes a bit of this and makes it palatable for me.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I will be honest though, I have experienced enough Rift to decide I find it tedious, so i will be giving it a miss whatever they say. For a solo heavy RPG with such an obviously limited play length (due to the nature of themeparks and whats on offer in this one even casual gamers will probably be done with this is 4-6 weeks) I would personally rather stick to Witcher 2 or some other game that does the job much better imo then Rift.
The thing with Rift is I honestly DON'T see what it does better or WHY I should play it over WoW or especially upcoming titles like Guild Wars 2, TERA, and SW:TOR.
Of course, I never understood why WoW was such a big deal until close to five years after its release, so if Rift retains a great portion of its launch success, it may grow on me.
I wish there was a simple answer to your question. You're not alone with the whole 'wait and see' mindset. I think there are alot of folks waiting to see if the endgame is viable, which is valid. Rift is replete with hype at the moment so after things calm down, some folks get a little more honest with RIFT's warts...it will be easier to make a decision.
For me, the switch was easy. I was bored playing WoW, I'm not bored playing RIFT. I'm not exactly sure why This isn't the case for everybody, just me.
As far as this article is concerned, the writers weren't afraid to heap compliments on the game that is worthy of compliment. Ironically, the first impression wasn't RIFT's strong point to me. I had to give it a good look before it started to shine for me. Perhaps some folks will give RIFT a closer look.
No, I mean, I've played the game. I was in every beta, and before that I was an alpha tester. The problem was that I could not think of a single feature that Rift shares with other games that it does better, and while the class system is nice, it will only be a matter of time before it devolves into simply an exercise of browsing the forums to find the newest flavor of the month build.
To me, Rift feels like a slow, clunky, imitation of a mainstream themepark MMORPG made by a smallish independant game company. Additionally, if you look around, you'll see a lot of people who share a similar mindset with you. You're "bored playing WoW" but not bored with Rift. That's not usually a good sign. All that generally means is people are ready for a fresh change of scenary, and for awhile, it's nice, but once they log in and that new car smell is gone, all the game's problems become all the more glaring, and back to WoW they go. I had the exact same first impression upon logging into DDO of all things.
I played in Rift betas 1, 2, 6, and 7, and I agree that it is basically a garden variety MMO, but highly polished.
If you're looking for something very familiar to EQ2, or WoW, or Warhammer, but done vert well with a lot of attention to detail, then Rift is a great game.
If, like me, you're waiting for that MMO that revolutionizes the gameplay itself, then this probably isn't the game for you.
It's less 'Disney-fied' than WoW, not quite as macabre as WAR, and all the mechanics work more or less like you'd expect them to in either of those games (same kinds of skills - Rogues have some equivalent to Sinister Strike, use an on-target combo system, etc. - standard skill bars, GCD, mana/health system).
I'm waiting for GW2 for something "new". I also have my eye on The Secret World, but at this point, I'm not expecting a whole lot from it.
So, yeah, in conclusion, the reviewers are basically correct. Rift is a solid garden variety MMO, with decent graphics (nothing that will blow your mind, but it looks good), few bugs, and good support.
If it were my introduction to MMO's, I would be totally into it, but over the years I've simply grown bored with the same old thing, so I've set my eyes on the horizon. Hopefully GW2 will set a new standard, or at least begin to pave the way towards something truly novel, we'll see.
"Shoulder to shoulder with the best"? Wouldn't that mean it's among the best? Why does every article on this website end up claiming that everyone has to buy Rift since it's one of the best MMORPGs? And no, the answer is not "because it is the best". Of course Rift is a fine game, but saying it's among the best and has to be bought is just not true. It's like saying "MC Donalds is selling a new burger! Everyone has to get it, now! It tastes better then all other burgers and if you haven't eaten it, you haven't lived!!!". Yes, for some people a new burger at MC Donalds is exciting and has to be bought, I agree. But that does surely not count for everyone. Same as Rift ain't for everyone. Even though those articles try to make you believe that.
It will be the last and greatest of traditional style MMO's, before the next generation paves the way for entirely new way's of interaction and immersion.
It's a good send off and farewell to the era of MMO's we grew up with.
I'm also highly looking forward to Trion's other MMO, the so called "ScyFy Action MMO".
Rift: Really, really good game. I havent been as excited about the future of an MMO this much since EQ2 7 years ago
If someone is talking in general chat in a language you dont understand, chances are they're not talking to you. So chill out and stop bitching about it!
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I did not care for rift myself. It is a complete game which is saying alot these days, but other then that its not in the league of say eq2 or wow. I myself am playing Xsyon right now too early to tell ya what I think of that yet. Also myself like everyone else I am just waiting for SWTOR. I am really waiting to see if bioware gives release date at Pax, if they do then I will not be making any changes if its comming out in the next 6 months which I personaly think it will. If they do not though I will stick with Xsyon if I like it, or I will be going back to EQ2 if I do not as I do miss EQ2 as I have not played it in about a year.
This entire line of comments just makes it clear why mmo's are so dull. It's the gamers who demand things to be easy, same old stuff, nothing too difficult, and really just social platforms for loney and bored folks. It's getting where I don't even want to play anymore because I just get tired of the complaints, the over the top arguements and overblown personalities (or those that want to be so). A revolutionary game would in most likelyhood fail badly in this cauldron of blahness. No one wants to join a game unless others are wanting to play it of which Wow is a perfect example. Nothing fantastic but the masses flocked to it in a sort of gamer stampede that really has nothing to do with the game and this function seems completely random. No reason anymore getting excited about a game unless it draws numbers and that just about guarantees boredom and more of the same.
I do like the rift idea as I detest grouping these days and this juvenile game of egoes you have to tip toe through being careful not to rock the boat, always say positive stuff and never defend yourself when faced with more than one person disagreeing with you (just smile and go along). It's become more of a social competition than an mmo where folks are more worried about how they appear to others than fighting along side others in a common cause. Blah!
In any event., here is another game hanging in the balance waiting to see if there is mass appeal or not. If so then the actual gameplay doesn't matter as the game just became socially acceptable and profitable. I think I'll stick with DCUO no matter how many jump from game to game looking for crowds of gamers they can interact with. Just pay no mind to having fun as it isn't about that any more.
I gave RIFT a shot and played from BETA 3 to 7. I enjoyed it, it's very polished, Trion has done an amazing job at listening to their community and responding with actual fixes in record time. It's truly amazing how Trion can launch a very stable and polished content, and work so quickly on the community issues even when they are only 1 month away from Launch.
They have balls, that's for sure. It's the kind of company that can quickly gain the trust of it's playerbase and keep it happy. They are clearly very well organized, and really makes me wonder why other companies are unable to do something similar. Rather, it's appalling how companies are unable to release a polished product, let alone a stable one, when Trion makes it look so easy.
Sadly, as much as I want to love RIFT, it's just not for me. I enjoyed some of it's features, but the game just doesn't grow on me, nor hold my attention for very long (I've only reached Lv.21 throughout BETA). It's definitively "fun", but I need something different than what RIFT can offer, and what Trion wants to offer. That being said, RIFT will no doubt be an extremely succesfull title, and I look forward to see just how much the game will grow.
Comments
That pretty much sums it up. I also noticed that during mass combat, they somehow shut off some spell effects and what not to prevent lag, it's pretty awesome. I hope they take the RIFT technology and utilize it for live events, that would be awesome.
Rift has horrible animation, horrible graphics (it scales 3D distance in a very odd way like Warhammer Online's engine but worse, where things get gradually crunch-pixelized as they zoom out, even in 1920 res), it has lifeless quest dialogue and goals (very similar quest dialogue to Hellgate London), and the typical gameplay monotony is felt in your bones right from the starting zone.
With that said, I will give Rift credit for its attempt at multiclass customization and the design of the dynamic rifts on the map and the way that the rift monsters will take over the land if left unchecked. The rifts really add meaning to fighting for a cause, and I congratulate Trion for bringing something fresh in that regard.
Unfortunately, there isn't enough "fresh" in this game for me to recommend it to anyone. The best way I can describe this game is if you were to combine Warhammer Online with Dungeons and Dragons Online. There's potential, and it's intriguing, but ultimately isn't worth investing the time in (imo). I purchased the game and I don't regret it because I am glad I saw the rift system and class system, but I won't be subscribing past the initial month.
This has to be answered on a person to person basis. The reason why I play this game and i would not play WoW is
1) The world and story is much more immersive IMO. If people dont agree or dont care about lore then thats fine. But for ME its waaaay more immersive then the WoW story and world
2) The class system. My rouge can tanl, support/heal or dps on a whim and each role has 3 trees for me to play with. This to me is a much better system then WoW's boring class system.
3) Rifts provide that little extra while questing the at least for me truely makes a diffrerence and leveling doesnt seem like a job.
Everything else to me is exactly the same as WoW and i really wish they would have taken some chances to enhance some systems.
Playing: PO, EVE
Waiting for: WoD
Favourite MMOs: VG, EVE, FE and DDO
Any person who expresses rage and loathing for an MMO is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.
But.. the point to write would have to be none of these are actually anything new. If I were to be honest with you Rift isn't good enough to hold a high retail price purchase and sub from me. It is just another WoW/EQ re-working ad there just isn't enough. I think with games like EQ2, LoTRO, and DDO all offering a lot of game, similar graphics and a fantasy mmo alternative to WoW at a more economic price for players then I would put my time in there. 2011 will be the stellar year for Bioware with Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, and SW:TOR...players looking for the next big thing should head there, though I guess there is also GW2 coimng possibly end of this year too, though it may possibly end up in 2012..
(sorry about the strange typos folks..need to stop posting with Webkit2)
I agree that distance is sometimes frustrating. It's suddenly like everything appears but animations seem better than the majority of games I've played? I fought a Troll the other night. 10 ft tall and when it died, it fell down and then tried to get back up, spiders curl up like real spiders when they die, skellies heads come off, fire creatures explode and my characters run a little silly but they also move their swords and spells with more character and realism than most MMORPGs out there? From Oblivion to Conan I've seen alot worse? To me the graphics are very immersive but to each their own?
It doesn't seem to long ago that I was playing EQ and Might and Magic where you could barely tell which creature you were fighting, much less see them die in a semi-convinving way. Did I miss something along the way better than Rift?
Rift has bad graphics compared to what? Real life? you're not going to find any mmo as polished as rift with the same level of graphics and animation.
Not everyone is going to love Rift, but your arguments are just wrong.
I've personally not made my mind up yet about Rift, I'm playing it atm but not blown away, but it's probably because I'm in the club that is waiting for something that aint another EQ styled mmo with the same old classes over and over.
I agree with you.
Oh, there are a few animations that seem a bit stiff like the 2 handed weapon animation but I don't see what others are seeing when they say Rift has bad animations.
I think I can point to bad animations in every game.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I think point 3 needs more expansion. It isn't just Rifts acting like public quests. it's also the invasions they spawn, and the consequent footholds that come from the invasions.
If you don't close a rift fast enough, invaders come out in waves. These forces head towards quest hubs, and if not killed they will take over the quest hubs and setup footholds. The footholds behave like additional mini spawnpoints that will gradually become tougher to clear out if you allow the invaders to fortify.
Per example of what can happen... Just last night I was minding my business questing, heading back to a quest hub to clear out my completed quests. Shortly after I ran back into the town, a huge invasion force of earth elementals decended over the town like an avalanche. It was chaos, the NPCs in addition to some scattered players who were unfortunate enough to get caught up in the assault tried to fight back in vain but were quickly killed, which allowed the invaders to destroy the town's protection crystal. With this deed done, the invaders then began spawning their own foothold.
Before the foothold of the invaders had become too powerful however, the players regrouped and rallied together to organize a counter-attack. Having defeated the invaders after a lengthy battle, we turned our attention to the origin of the attackers and made our way toward the major tear that had still been pouring out invasion forces the entire time. We encountered a couple more waves of invaders along the way, but as we were no match for our combined forces now that we were organized. Upon reaching the rift, were were able to successfully battle through it's phases and close it, ending the swarms of invaders that had been pouring out.
When it was all said and done, it was at least a half-hour later. My bags were filled to the brim with planar loot recovered from the invaders and closer the rift they had been coming from. The town that had been invaded was recovering, the NPCs coming back and the defenses gradually increasing again.
So yes, rifts definitely do add that "little" extra to break up the monotony between quests.
Personally, I think anyone that enjoys the "norm" MMOs should give Rift a try. I think you'll get 30 days of fun, and if you stick with it because you like it, there you go.
If you are a big themepark sandbox fan, you might not enjoy the game. You can't craft the same four houses, you can't build towns, you can't murder anyone around you, you don't level up skills hitting on mobs all day.
Just play any game to have fun. If people would try things out and form their own opinions before being influenced well before hand, you might just have more fun all the time.
I tried all beta phase.
Game is very well maked, good engine.
However i played many mmo before and i didnt feel i could invest myself as i did in P2P game (EQ1 4years, wow 4years, EQ2 1years...) even F2P games
Maybe i am just changing or i am just bored by new mmorpg market. Maybe too mmorpg killed the mmorpg. I don't know ^^
Pretty solid articles. Also other people need to realize by this time in Aion and Warhammer
people were already starting to rage.
I just do not see the screaming on the forums like you would expect. One or two threads saying this or that is op, but no "my system crashed" from like 1,000's of people.
The game is just playing smooth and it lets you set your pace. If you want to rush to 50, then
go grind instances. If you want slow and steady go click ever quest giver you find.
I respect EQ players and when I see their guilds saying the end game is very good, then I know I have something to look forward too.
SWToR and GW2 are brand names guys. Star Wars has what...30 years of advertising. Guild
wars has what 7 years? Rift had basically ONE MONTH and has honestly probably hit the 1mil mark and it appears to have survivability which is amazing.
I think Trion took a stagnant genre and put new life into it and people are mad about it. Up until 2 months ago Blizzard was telling everyone that certain things were not possible and
now Trion just drops it on the market and people are just shocked.
I am having a fun time playing Rift too. Given I have little spare time (running this site and helping raise a 1 year old with a 7 month preggo wife = no time) I have only managed to eek my way up to level 19 so far with a Mage - probably averaging about 1 hour per day. The other night I got a chance to group up with Ben (my co-owner in the site) for about 3 hours and I probably had the most fun I have had in an MMO in many years. Makes me wish I were 20 years old and single again!
This staff member would give Rift a thumbs up. I look forward to seeing how Trion evolves this game being that at launch it seems to have the kind of quality most games either never reach or reach after years of patching.
The next game I really want to try out is Xsyon as it seems to have that open sandbox style that the other half of my MMO brain craves. I think it is great for the MMO industry that we have these two titles launching at the same general time and both cater to different player types.
- MMORPG.COM Staff -
The dead know only one thing: it is better to be alive.
"If you are a big themepark sandbox fan, you might not enjoy the game. "
Wash, Rinse, Repeat...
Rift is exactly that. It looks nicer than WoW, but so did AoC and it was Wash, Rinse, Repeat. I played in the beta and that was my experience. It looked good, the soul system was nice, there was a plot of sorts, and so forth.
The key to liberating my coins from my pouch and to sustain my interest, however, is to come up with something different, something immersive. The quote above seems to point to the real competition, the mark that most games released fail to hit, that is, the ability to create the world around you. No successful game since SWG was able to do that.
I can't help but wonder what the game would have been like if Jon Van Caneghem hadn't gotten overthrown. I seem to recall sandbox being part of the equation.
Maybe I can answer that. To a point.
I have a WoW character that I made at Launch. After waiting in a queue. It is probably somewhere in its 30's. I've enjoyed the small bits I've played in WoW but I just can't play it for too long.
Rift on the other hand: I have a character that started a few days after head start began, Friday, and it's half way through 23. Only a few days with the character as opposed to years.
What is the difference?
WoW is cutsey at times, tongue in cheek "nudge nudge wink wink" humor, whimsical art design and it just grates on me.
Though rift does have some nods to popular culture they don't hit you in the face. The art design is for the most part, not cutesy. The rifts and invasions break up what can be monotonous questing.
Being able to switch my character in a a second or two so I can fulfill a role means I don't have to reroll another character.
For me the game is less whimsical, cutsey and allows for a customization that I enjoy. And it's only launch. i am willing to give it a bit of time in order to add more content or flesh out old content.
So for me, WoW has too much sugar. Rift removes a bit of this and makes it palatable for me.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
{mod edit}
I will be honest though, I have experienced enough Rift to decide I find it tedious, so i will be giving it a miss whatever they say. For a solo heavy RPG with such an obviously limited play length (due to the nature of themeparks and whats on offer in this one even casual gamers will probably be done with this is 4-6 weeks) I would personally rather stick to Witcher 2 or some other game that does the job much better imo then Rift.
No, I mean, I've played the game. I was in every beta, and before that I was an alpha tester. The problem was that I could not think of a single feature that Rift shares with other games that it does better, and while the class system is nice, it will only be a matter of time before it devolves into simply an exercise of browsing the forums to find the newest flavor of the month build.
To me, Rift feels like a slow, clunky, imitation of a mainstream themepark MMORPG made by a smallish independant game company. Additionally, if you look around, you'll see a lot of people who share a similar mindset with you. You're "bored playing WoW" but not bored with Rift. That's not usually a good sign. All that generally means is people are ready for a fresh change of scenary, and for awhile, it's nice, but once they log in and that new car smell is gone, all the game's problems become all the more glaring, and back to WoW they go. I had the exact same first impression upon logging into DDO of all things.
I played in Rift betas 1, 2, 6, and 7, and I agree that it is basically a garden variety MMO, but highly polished.
If you're looking for something very familiar to EQ2, or WoW, or Warhammer, but done vert well with a lot of attention to detail, then Rift is a great game.
If, like me, you're waiting for that MMO that revolutionizes the gameplay itself, then this probably isn't the game for you.
It's less 'Disney-fied' than WoW, not quite as macabre as WAR, and all the mechanics work more or less like you'd expect them to in either of those games (same kinds of skills - Rogues have some equivalent to Sinister Strike, use an on-target combo system, etc. - standard skill bars, GCD, mana/health system).
I'm waiting for GW2 for something "new". I also have my eye on The Secret World, but at this point, I'm not expecting a whole lot from it.
So, yeah, in conclusion, the reviewers are basically correct. Rift is a solid garden variety MMO, with decent graphics (nothing that will blow your mind, but it looks good), few bugs, and good support.
If it were my introduction to MMO's, I would be totally into it, but over the years I've simply grown bored with the same old thing, so I've set my eyes on the horizon. Hopefully GW2 will set a new standard, or at least begin to pave the way towards something truly novel, we'll see.
"Shoulder to shoulder with the best"? Wouldn't that mean it's among the best? Why does every article on this website end up claiming that everyone has to buy Rift since it's one of the best MMORPGs? And no, the answer is not "because it is the best". Of course Rift is a fine game, but saying it's among the best and has to be bought is just not true. It's like saying "MC Donalds is selling a new burger! Everyone has to get it, now! It tastes better then all other burgers and if you haven't eaten it, you haven't lived!!!". Yes, for some people a new burger at MC Donalds is exciting and has to be bought, I agree. But that does surely not count for everyone. Same as Rift ain't for everyone. Even though those articles try to make you believe that.
Let's play Fallen Earth (blind, 300 episodes)
Let's play Guild Wars 2 (blind, 45 episodes)
I think the best way to sum up Rift is like this:
It will be the last and greatest of traditional style MMO's, before the next generation paves the way for entirely new way's of interaction and immersion.
It's a good send off and farewell to the era of MMO's we grew up with.
I'm also highly looking forward to Trion's other MMO, the so called "ScyFy Action MMO".
Rift: Really, really good game. I havent been as excited about the future of an MMO this much since EQ2 7 years ago
If someone is talking in general chat in a language you dont understand, chances are they're not talking to you. So chill out and stop bitching about it!
And this is only the beginning!
Prepare for SWTOR, GW2, The Secret World, ArcheAge, TERA and World of Darkness in 2011-2012, take your pick
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Rift is good, for the short haul but if you are looking for a game for the long haul, go sandbox.
I did not care for rift myself. It is a complete game which is saying alot these days, but other then that its not in the league of say eq2 or wow. I myself am playing Xsyon right now too early to tell ya what I think of that yet. Also myself like everyone else I am just waiting for SWTOR. I am really waiting to see if bioware gives release date at Pax, if they do then I will not be making any changes if its comming out in the next 6 months which I personaly think it will. If they do not though I will stick with Xsyon if I like it, or I will be going back to EQ2 if I do not as I do miss EQ2 as I have not played it in about a year.
This entire line of comments just makes it clear why mmo's are so dull. It's the gamers who demand things to be easy, same old stuff, nothing too difficult, and really just social platforms for loney and bored folks. It's getting where I don't even want to play anymore because I just get tired of the complaints, the over the top arguements and overblown personalities (or those that want to be so). A revolutionary game would in most likelyhood fail badly in this cauldron of blahness. No one wants to join a game unless others are wanting to play it of which Wow is a perfect example. Nothing fantastic but the masses flocked to it in a sort of gamer stampede that really has nothing to do with the game and this function seems completely random. No reason anymore getting excited about a game unless it draws numbers and that just about guarantees boredom and more of the same.
I do like the rift idea as I detest grouping these days and this juvenile game of egoes you have to tip toe through being careful not to rock the boat, always say positive stuff and never defend yourself when faced with more than one person disagreeing with you (just smile and go along). It's become more of a social competition than an mmo where folks are more worried about how they appear to others than fighting along side others in a common cause. Blah!
In any event., here is another game hanging in the balance waiting to see if there is mass appeal or not. If so then the actual gameplay doesn't matter as the game just became socially acceptable and profitable. I think I'll stick with DCUO no matter how many jump from game to game looking for crowds of gamers they can interact with. Just pay no mind to having fun as it isn't about that any more.
I gave RIFT a shot and played from BETA 3 to 7. I enjoyed it, it's very polished, Trion has done an amazing job at listening to their community and responding with actual fixes in record time. It's truly amazing how Trion can launch a very stable and polished content, and work so quickly on the community issues even when they are only 1 month away from Launch.
They have balls, that's for sure. It's the kind of company that can quickly gain the trust of it's playerbase and keep it happy. They are clearly very well organized, and really makes me wonder why other companies are unable to do something similar. Rather, it's appalling how companies are unable to release a polished product, let alone a stable one, when Trion makes it look so easy.
Sadly, as much as I want to love RIFT, it's just not for me. I enjoyed some of it's features, but the game just doesn't grow on me, nor hold my attention for very long (I've only reached Lv.21 throughout BETA). It's definitively "fun", but I need something different than what RIFT can offer, and what Trion wants to offer. That being said, RIFT will no doubt be an extremely succesfull title, and I look forward to see just how much the game will grow.