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How is The Secret World past the first area? - And how is DCUO these days?
TheScavenger
Member EpicPosts: 3,321
TSW looks amazing, best setting I've personally seen for an MMO in my opinion. Heard combat sucked, but I don't care about combat in games...there is already a billion games about combat anyway.
My worry before I spend my money on it, that even a 3 day trial would not fix.
I heard TSW is like AoC tortage...first area is amazing...leave first area and the story/gameplay takes a dive in quality. Is this correct? Or were they mistaken? My main worry is I'll spend money on TSW, have a blast in the first part of the game...and then later the story and gameplay just ends up being horrible.
I do also plan to pick up DC Universe all DLC pack, as a MMO to play alongside TSW.
Thanks for any help 
Just don't want to fork over money to find only the first area (like tortage) is the best part of the game.
Mostly I'm curious about the story/voice acting/gameplay and writing past the first area and toward the end of the game.
Also, is there enough gameplay/content to keep me busy for a long time? Not sure how many hours I'll get out of it before I 100% the game (it took me over 5000 played hours (dunno if thats long/short, but I play REALLY slow usually) on one character in WoW to 100% it all as comparison. I love going for 100% as much as the story itself)
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul
Comments
I think everything you brought up is entirely a matter of opinion. I like TSW combat. I liked most of the areas in TSW. The only area I didn't like much was Egypt, which a lot of people DO like. The difference between Tortage in AoC and the rest of the game was pretty drastic. The same is not the case in TSW.
I've only played the base game, I haven't bought any of the issue updates, but the only complaint I really have about the game is that there's just too much occultism in the game. The stories often revolve around real world occultic belief systems. They might throw in a twist of their own here and there, but some plots hit a little close to real world occultism.
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul
Ah I see. I was just worried because I asked on another forum a month back, how TSW was...and a few people said the game really sucks later on and the writing/quality of the game goes down with more grinding and less stories. Dunno if that is true or not. Mostly, I just really like the atmosphere/theme of the game and like I said above...I never do raiding anyway, which I guess the few people who said game sucks later love to raid. That part doesn't bother me at all if raiding is bad, as I always avoid doing that anyway.
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul
They may have been talking about raiding. The community is very uptight about who they let raid with them. Far worse than any other MMO I've ever played. If you're not in a guild odds are you won't be able to raid. Or at least that was my experience.
I don't know how the story is past the base game, because like I said I never bought any of the issue updates. But once you finish the stories there's little to do other than raid and pvp. Also I will say the base game is pretty short. As I recall there were 6 zones set in 3 settings. However I found it worth the purchase even just for the stories alone. Some of the content can be pretty difficult tho, depending on your build.
Edit: I forgot to mention that most of the missions in the game are repeatable. But of course the first zones will be very easy if you do repeat them.
As you said, that's your opinion. In TSW it IS a matter of opinion, while in AoC it was a fact everyone agreed upon. Some do indeed like the first area best, but I know others like Egypt best, and yet others prefer Transylvania.
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul
All TSW's zones have excellent storylines. The preferences you may be hearing probably have more to do with preferences for a particular landscape. Some like the deserts zones or the snowy Transylvania, some don't. But the storylines and missions throughout the game are excellent, and imo, are the best available in an MMO. The main storyline that carries throughout the game is pretty mindblowing -- the last part of this story in the Carpathian Fangs is jaw-dropping.
Now there is a bunch of endgame stuff in the nightmare dungeons and raids, but these are optional, and you can tackle them any time you are feeling up for it. There is plenty of content that will take you time to play through as well. Play TSW for the missions and the main storyline; you won't regret it.
At first I'd like join to the group above, with: TSW is not AoC
(though AoC also improved a lot during the years, plenty of post-Tortage NPCs found their voices and not mute anymore, quests were added, former quests updated, etc.). All the 3 "starter" zones (*) of TSW are great, and has an equal share and weight within the game. For the "...have a blast in the first part of the game...and then later the story and gameplay just ends up being horrible." nope, the gameplay is cool all the way.
Maybe the opinions about Kingsmouth being the "best" are coming from the fact that it's a US site and that area is the most familiar to US folks both by the surroundings, and the fables / references
and also it's stuffed with zombies, and zombie is the current cool thing. But the other two are just as great zones.
Now, DCUO barely got responses indeed, let's turn to that. It's a fun game, I play it as a 2nd line / backup when I'm in superhero mood (alongside with CO). If you played it, then you're familiar with the game itself, so focus onto the model. It went f2p with the usual SOE model (which I don't particularily like, but it's not that bad). Sub is still there, and it's also part of the All Access subscription plan (at least for now, who knows what will happen after the dust settles with Daybreak
)
As a former player I think you'll have premium tier, with an average inventory, 6 characters, ah slots, and the option of trading/mailing items. Much better than the plain f2p players, but still restrictive. You have a currency cap too, so grab some Cola when you're near the cash limit
None of the expansion packs are included just because you were a player in the past, you need to buy them. There are frequent sales on them, bundles, etc. I'd say at first just check back and play with your old characters, checking around.
"Think DCUO may be worth more my money? I'm either getting both or just DCUO." You don't need to get DCUO, it's free. There's a difference between the two, TSW is fully free if you own the box (except the DLCs) while in DCUO you will have restrictions without a subscription (plus also need to buy the DLCs)
Without DLCs, just looking the base game I think TSW has more content. I'd say buy TSW and download DCUO, that way you'll have 2 games, not just one
(*)edit: "starter" zones, since now we have Tokyo
2nd area is decent. 3rd and 4th areas are terrible. I would normally agree with you on the combat but it gets so bad in TSW that I ended up trying to just run past stuff so I didn't have to do the combat. When it gets that bad it really drags the game down.
Best part of that game is definitely the first area though. Though I didn't make it through Egypt because I just got so bored of the combat at that point and Egypt was pretty bland.
I know DCUO is actually free, but it is game breaking to me when I load it up and see "locked locked and locked". All the cool powers I'd be interested in, are all paid by expansions.
Its why games like Total War or any other game, I either buy EVERY DLC or/and expansion or I just don't buy the game at all.
Might sound weird, but just knowing I'm locked out of content because I didn't buy the DLC or expansion is pretty game breaking for me. Its why even if a MMO is free, I'd throw money at it so I'm not locked out of features/content or limited by anything. However, if its just a pay to win game, I'd probably just not play it as I don't want to spend tons of money in a MMo or game lol. The most I'd go is crusader kings 2 and its novel length of dlcs.
TSW would probably be the exception if I decide to get it, as all the DLC content is for later in the game and I wouldn't miss much at all early on.
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul
I know what you mean. The knowledge that, at some point, I will have to pay money to continue to progress, soured me on DCUO. It's not even a question of how much money, it just feels like a trap. I would happily spend way more on a game like WoW or Marvel Heroes where I know what I'm buying.
The Secret World is lots of fun, it's the only MMO I've truthfully enjoyed since pre-F2P Lord of the Rings Online. Solomon Island is my favourite area in the game, everything from the little Kingsmouth town to the Academy and the Native American Gift Shop. It's all really well done. Egypt I wasn't a big fan of - it was okay, but much too bright an area for the dark theme of the game. But then there was Transylvania and the dark was back, another area I really liked.
As it's B2P I'd recommend it. I did stop playing after a while due to the subscription model, but when they dropped that I came back again and had a blast. Really enjoyable game, I recommend it.
TSW is probably one of the best games for story I've ever played. The skill lines are also alot of fun to tinker with. Combat is not bad, most complaints boil down to the fact that you need to have multiple builds and use different ones for different mobs later in the game. Basically, the difficulty level ramps up quite a bit once you get into the latter areas of Transylvania.
The dungeons are actually very fun and part of the story. There is VERY minimal trash so you normally go from boss to boss.
DCUO is just that game that is alot of fun to just relax too. Fun combat and it's always awesome being a superhero...if you aren't into raiding and stuff, i would say play the FTP version...the base story is fun and you can figure out if you really want to buy it or not afterward. I dont think it's worth a sub, but it is definately worth a go round.
Obviously everything on this forum is opinion, why do you have to keep bringing it up. The first 2 areas of the game were great, the next 2 were so bad it made me quit a game I thought I'd be playing for a long time. I don't have some sort of mathematical proof that this is true, I haven't run scientific experiments to prove it. Almost everything posted on this forum is just opinion, that is what he asked for and that is what we gave him.
+1
I like the story lines. Looking forward to the updates to the game making it easier to clear trash mobs, which should mean better leveling in general. The problem with it now is that for me it is a combat orientated game with combat being not that good. Like someone said in another thread, you just spam your mean skill until your ultimate skill builds up. 111111111211111...
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
I played both AoC and TSW at release, and one thing I'll tell you, it's nothing like what AoC was.
After leaving tortage (at release) AoC took a dive in quality, and it wasn't just opinion, it was something measurable (no more voiced NPCs, incomplete/bugged quests, level ranges where you literally had nothing to do but grind over and over until you were high enough level for the next quest hub, raids/PvP that was literally broken, etc).
The level of polish, even at release, once you left the first area in TSW remains consistent, that's something that's a fact, and IMHO the quality of the stories, quests and areas are also just as good. The storyline, both in the main one and the side quests, is excellent, the combat can get repetitive but it's usable, and playing with the decks is very fun, and I like the idea that you can become a completely different "class" just be changing your skills and gear.
That said, for me the most memorable area is still the first one (note that I say "memorable", not "best")... but I believe it's because of the uniqueness of the setting. Don't get me wrong, egypt and transylvania are beautiful to look at and play in, and actually my favorite character in the game (Said) is in egypt, and that says a lot for a game with such great characters... the thing is, when you're playing in the first 3 areas, almost everywhere you go it's very clear you're playing in a contemporary setting, with paved roads, modern buildings and boats in the water, zombies that use contemporary clothes (or rags), lighthouses, amusement parks and so on, you're never far from something that reminds you that you're in a present day area.
Once you reach egypt you'll spend lots of times in the desert and ruins fighting cultists and other mythical beasts (there are urban areas too, but they're relatively fewer), even more once you reach egypt's second map, that while they look great and are fun to play in, also wouldn't look too out of place in an average fantasy set MMO we've played over and over. Same thing happens in transylvania, there are modern towns and very modern looking facilities, but you'll spend most of the time in forests and mountains fighting werewolves that would also fit well in other MMOs.
So, to recap, I do believe the game mantains its quality and fun from all the way (definitively not a tortage situation), all areas are very fun to play and beautiful to look at, but IMHO the big reason the 3 maps of the first area are the most memorable in the game is because of the uniqueness of the setting when compared to other MMOs.
What can men do against such reckless hate?
I didn't like the first half of Egypt either but the 2nd half I found much more enjoyable and Transylvania is even better than the first zone IMO. My big gripe with the game is the jump from Transylvania to Tokyo is very jarring. First there is the scenario grind to get augments and access to Tokyo if you don't want to do the side mission than there is the gear requirement jump between Transylvania and Tokyo. A new player will hit a pretty big wall at the end of Transylvania even with issues 7 and 8 that takes dedication to fight past.
I'm not saying it's not worth doing just be prepared for it can don't be afraid to spend more time in a area than you would in other MMO's repeating missions you like.
I enjoyed it all. At pre-launch, Kingsmouth was smoother than the other zones but they are all polished now. The main thing that happens in Kingsmouth is learning how the game works and what's different about it. But the storytelling is fabulous through the whole game.
Other people hate Egypt but it's my favorite, both for the story and the music.
Maybe I wasn't clear enough above
I mean with this
It's mainly not about the DLCs (but that's different too, in TSW you don't loose much without them, except Issue #9, while in DCUO those contains a lot of cool "classes"), it's about sub. TSW is b2p, you buy the box, and that's it. DCUO is f2p (even moreso SOE f2p), so unless you subscribe, you will see those "locked locked and locked" you mentioned. Credit cap, mail, trade and chat restrictions, all are un-liftable ones (you can access your overflow credits by one-time purchases for real money though)
Meaning, you could buy all and every DLC packs in DCUO, you still need to subscribe too, for having an unlimited gameplay. Or you need to give up the "it is game breaking to me" part
I never paid the sub while we were under P7S1, and still had some nice fun. But I must say, the credit cap is a real pain in the butt...
I actually was turned off by the linear movement,the game 100% felt like a single player game not a MMO.I guess that is the difference,it opens up more after the first several maps.I was turned off by the starting areas a few npc's your FORCED to talk to,everything is hand holding and predictable.Even walking into a new part of the map you knew it was going to auto spawn creatures into the game.I personally did not like their design approach not my idea for a MMO or RPG. and imo not all that unique either.
I played a couple games that do the story idea the exact same way about 15 years ago,so ya nothing new to me.I grew up playing all the FInal Fantasy games,i have seen the very best cutscenes out there and the very best story telling,everything else to me is a level down,so yes to me combat does matter and a lot as well as character progression and depth of every system as well.
IMO the entire game is basically a single player design much like Tortage was.Also imo the Tortage experience was a hundred times better than TSW world noob zones.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Well, I ended up pre-ordering Attila (I loved rome 2 even at release, though I avoid ANY forum for ANY game at release...I enjoy it a lot more doing it that way
)
and I ended up subbing to WoW...again...
I know I'll get my moneys worth, its only 15 dollars and I already have all the expansions. No risk subbing, because I always have fun for at least a few months. Tons of content I already know I like. Guess that is why WoW is so big still, its a "safe" MMO to go to that either you already enjoy or never liked to begin with. I mean, tons of other MMOs...but I already know 100% that my money to WoW won't be wasted or the time played. Because I always enjoy it a lot.
Kinda a shame no other MMO gives that safe feeling of spending money on it (for me), but like I said, maybe that is why no one wants to leave WoW that still play it. Its old, but its like buying Bethesda games...its an instant buy as I already know I can mod the hell out of Bethesda games and get years of enjoyment. Even when I bought oblivion+morrowind GOTY editions, I already knew they were safe choices. Same with the Total War games (unless the map is small like in japan, I avoid those ones...I prefer epic total war campaign maps and japan is tiny)
In any case...I went back to WoW, cause...I didn't want to risk my money on another MMO :P
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul
Unless you are going to subscribe to DCUO then TSW is worth the money a million times more. I like both games (purchased both games at launch) but in TSW i am not restricted if i decide not to subscribe while in DCUO no matter how much money i spend i have some very annoying restrictions that cannot be lifted. Combat in DCUO is better than TSW but it feels choppy.