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Questing / Linear progression debate
I've seen some negative thoughts towards the questing hubs and the zones seen so far in Archeage.
Some people believe the game would be better off with no questing hubs and non linear zones, which I believe to be high level mobs within each zone and low level mobs.
1.) Questing hubs provide a guide route through the world with an easy way to keep track of the story as you progress through the levels. Having an expert writer creating the story to this game I'm assuming it will be interesting enough to hold peoples attention.
The disadvantage? People complain about repetitive quests such as Kill X this or gather X that. In other games such as Darkfall and MO there are no such quest hubs and you are free to travel and level as you want, this sounds great. In reality having played both games, MO you are level'd within a day and Darkfall you experience a hideous grind spanning months with the only quests killing HUNDREDS of X mobs. Eve also allows freedom but when it comes down to it Eve has a huge amount of the classic Kill x, Gather x.
You are not forced to go from quest hub to quest hub to level in Archeage.
*Gathering and crafting provides EXP, more than mobs at a lower level
*PvPing will provide EXP (confirmation needed)
*Just like in MO, DF, Eve you are free to grind random mobs you'd like to kill
2.) Linear play might exist in AA, we simply do not know yet! Low level tutorial type questing has to be linear, that is all we've seen. Not all the zones have been opened yet, there could already be multiple zones for simular levels giving players the choice. Wait this one out until the next Betas before judging on how linear it is.
Comments
They've said in an interview that it will have fewer quests than WoW since all contents are not quest driven. I believe this means you will have a great variety on how to progress your character to max level.
I'm expecting a quest heavy beginning to get people to adjust to the game. And in most cases these quests will take you to the parts you would normally be uncomfortable going (FFA continent). But even more so, I hope that the quests die off and we are left to explore entire zones with no real guided direction.
MMOs played: Horizons, Auto Assault, Ryzom, EVE, WAR, WoW, EQ2, LotRO, GW, DAoC, Aion, Requiem, Atlantica, DDO, Allods, Earth Eternal, Fallen Earth, Rift
Willing to try anything new
As far as linear progression I think it cheapens the idea of an open world. I agree that the first 10 levels should be that way but afterwards there should be some options.
Just not worth my time anymore.
As long as it releases polished and without missing content I'm all over it like a fat kid on cake. Linear or not the game looks great.
"I play Tera for the gameplay"
Most games that start out quest heavy then just dump you are considered incomplete. I dont believe that it will be good if archage starts off strong and then dumps you off half way through. You either do one or the other.
The only way they could pull this off is by providing many ways to level past the drop off point. But leveling by combat that isnt questing just leaves you with grinding unless they can come up with a very creative form.
I have been told by beta tsters that the game is linear to around L10, then it opens up. That time is just a tutorial really (hey, even classic EQ had a tutorial...)
I guess once past that it becomes less about quest chains (thank god) and more about a crafting/ PvP/ PvE mix, which all will apparently give decent xp. Going from this, I suppose if someone wants to level start to end just from quests, with no other activity, they will probably run out of them and be forced to grind (gasp!) somewhat to make up the shortfall. If they want to play like this though they might be better off with a full on quest grinder tho imo.
This is all probably intended by the devs. AA seems to be about more then grinding quest chains, it seems to want to encourage a more rounded playstyle that contributes to the feeling of world. This sounds awesome to me.
I personally will be attempting to take it all in... PvE, PvP, farming, gathering, housebuilding, whatever, so I probably won't notice the 'shortfall' in quests as much as others that prefer a more direct and structured style of play.
TBH, I don't even care about quests at all in a sandbox heavy game. They are not why I am there. To be even more honest, I am feckin sick of 90% of quests in MMORPGs. Save them for the big personal/ world events I say and let me get on with my day to day life as I see fit. I'm not anti themepark, I have enjoyed many of them, but FGS lets let a game do something different for once without forcing it to be another WoW clone (and then complaining all games are WoW clones).
Saying all this I fully predict AA to launch in the West to a carcophany of wailing and gnashing about the 'lack of content' and the 'extreme grind', simply because thats what the standard MMO plebian always complains about in either sandbox play or a Korean game, whether it's true or not.
To try and counter this they will probably add a stack of solo quest grind themepark content as part of the Western localisastion before launch here. Shame, but there ya go.
Tasty gfx - check
Huge world - check
Pimarily sandbox but with some themebox elements for variety - check (hoping for less quests and more spread out but longer epic chains for some nice lore)
Game looks in good state considering stage in development lifecycle, getting little twinges of that old excitement I have not felt for many a year
Fingers crossed
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
and polished in the correct meaning of the word, not just 'it works', which I like to assume is a basic requirement and nothing to get in a frith about.
'Polish' as in the bells and whistles, all that stuff people call 'fluff' but really isnt...the touches that elevate the wholeplay experience.
Happily this game looks well on track to deliver- Every vid I see excites me more with the game's obvious scope, attention to detail, and ambition.