I just made a separate thread here, in the Rise of Agon MMORPG.com forums. Skip freely:
https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/477574/just-tried-its-not-bad#latestI felt this needs attention, so I came to the pub. A review of Darkfall is in order:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DarkfallKey points:
* Open World and no instancing
* Supposedly deep crafting system; probably just onpar with dated expectations
* FFA PvP and (mostly, with few exceptions) full loot
* Mildly sandbox world; players conquer villages, can build houses, own deeds, etc.
* PvE: Small mob concentration, but high mob AI
* PvE: Inclues dungeons, as well various overland spawn camps
* Large main landmass with several islands
* Travel via ships, mounts, teleporters, magic and runes
* Six races and three factions
* Skill-based; no classes
* Ship and mounted combat (if i'm not mistaken)
* Semi-realistic stealth mechanics
* FPS-like combat (you have to aim at your opponent)
It's open world FFA PvP in a mildly sandbox world. It was the brain child of Aventurine Sa, as we all know, and we know how it ended. End of story. Close the book. Wait...
It's not over! The source code was purchased by Ub3rgames and Big Picture Games. Why did I never hear about this? How many others are like this and thought it was dead and gone?
Big Picture Games created Rise of Agon. Ub3rgames is responsible for New Dawn.
Rise of Agon:
New Dawn:
They're both being actively updated. They're both commercial, so you'll ultimately want to pay for a subscription or premium service. Populations aren't large, but what can be expected for FFA PvP, full loot, aged graphics and lack of advertising? This is about the best a player of this niche can do, short of playing Camelot Unchained or Crowfall (when they come out), but I already expect them to be a repeat of most others, unless they plan to dramatically change the audience they're producing for.
I haven't yet played New Dawn, so my experiences are narrowly focused on Rise of Agon. What I can say is summarized in the link at the beginning of this post. However, I can say it has a 7 day trial period and the price per month for subbing is $9.99, and you get a 25% discount if you pay for 3 months. It's rare for me to see another player in my starting area, but I have seen a couple. The game is playable alone so far, and I'm several hours into it.
Please, if you're like me and played various PvP MMO's and on PvP servers for the numerous MMORPGs to sprout up over the past 20 years, don't pass this opportunity up. Don't be clever. We know it's in your blood to play these things. PvE alone can't do it because the rush isn't there. No risk. Won't do. Give it a try. No time to be choosy. There're not a lot of options unless you lower your expectations and play what amounts to carebear PvP and kid gloves.
Some links for the two below.
Rise of Agon at MMORPG.com:
https://forums.mmorpg.com/categories/darkfall-rise-of-agon Rise of Agon: Content Update
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IduzUNk-Vig Rise of Agon: (older) Getting started videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kGLYSRdCUE&list=PL8Np6hZ83rgz7sMCz7UdIg2q-Od9b_ysJ Rise of Agon: Lets Play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRvL6alsjGc
New Dawn at MMORPG.com:
https://forums.mmorpg.com/categories/darkfall-new-dawn New Dawn: Review by noob
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOVO-TxEka0 New Dawn: Unique MMORPG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBfWs3-BCvU New Dawn: Differences from RoA and other Darkfall variants
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka7X8Zogf20
Differences between RoA and ND:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU09rmhhzkk
Comments
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
Or none of the above for...."reasons"
Hard to take such claims seriously if the only FFA PVP games one is willing to play are mythical ones in some far distant future.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Both teams thought they knew what hurt the game but were both oblivious. All the XML and Quality of life changes should have been made in alpha(I mean the whole fucking game was already made for you) and quality content patches should have been steadily rolled out. While each game did certain things right(ROA with housing, cooking, champions)(ND with specializations and armor[Still could have been better]) it wasn't even close to being anything substantial to improving the game.
They both focused way too much on things they half-assed or scraped anyways and the biggest reason is that they both try to focus on pvp too much. Stop fucking added more pvp oriented content and add shit for the sheep who have something other than being farmed by a veteran/zerg alliance.
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-New dawn spent litterally a year just to revamp their half assed first itteration of titles and even then it wasn't done right(Game altering spells should be locked behind a title like stone/iron skin, melee/archery haste with 4 skills locked behind a title (instead of 2) with only 2 active at a time). They neglected everything else really except for some QOL changes early on. Those sea towers R.I.P also still waiting for land towers. The idiotic decision to place the server in France when its a mostly American player base.The only saving grace was the title specialization which the game SORELY NEEDED, but wasn't implemented right. Following AV's footsteps to a T they don't do anything against people that exploited VCPS early on or exploits at all, and then SOON tm'd us. TERRRRRRRIBLE retention for new players with absolutely no new features or content added. THE GAME NEEDS SANDBOX CONTENT. The only thing we got was XML changes and broken promises.
-Rise of agon did very well early on with XML and QOL changes along with some well done revamps to existing skills like cooking(best content change they did, although already existing content). Champions were also very fun and actually one of the few things besides pvp that required alot of players. However they fucked up with the scroll system and another one that eludes me that they completely removed, as well as removing RACIAL WARS which was a huge content and driving force behind pvp in the game for those not in clans and solo players. Unlike ND they were smart enough to host the server in the US. While the game did boast much faster leveling times it also made the game very boring and tedious when there was nothing left to do to improve your character and the dwindling population meant pvp is scarce. Many people didn't like having to farm resources for a house, but I enjoy this aspect as it gave me a goal that didn't revolve around "so I can pvp". The battle with pvp balance competely killed any new content updates, despite them the new roadmap content being about pvp; the game still needed them. Far worse than New dawn, new players absolutely have no chance in this game as the driving force is sole, pvp. It came down to just the best players in an alliance killing all the less skilled players until they quit. Exploiters weren't dealt with quick enough or at all as with ND(a reoccuring theme for Darkfall) and internally strife littered this games development process. All we got once again was XML changes and broken promises. Once again where are the patches that add stuff like Archage farming? Yes it requires extensive work, but that is the reason you accepted our money and to revive the game. Now they are stuck in an ever back and forth pvp balance tweak quota or doing utterly insignificant things as a patch such as balancing pve. Just re-adjusting already in game content to make it look like they are doing something.
Both teams are utter trash and it felt more like a cash grabbing scheme than a true attempt at reviving and improving the game. The only ones that had anything gainful from this, is Aventurine. Just relatively easy content concepts that were there to make you buy the game. Changing values on existing files you didn't program doesn't mean you developed the game.
/rant. The best and mos flawed pvp mmo is dead as it rightfully deserves.
MurderHerd
I wish both projects the best of luck, but having a few sieges a week with miles of dead pve land free to farm at will alone between just ruins it all. I have to assume its the same 50 people that were around when DF1 died and was rebirthed as a turd that was the remake.
Also by the time these dev teams get their versions where they want it, the game is just going to be so unbelievably dated its not going to draw in any new players.
Darkfall is one of the few PVP games that kind of worked in a MMO environment (the other is EVE).
In my opinion there should be no PVP in MMOs, unless it has a meaning, like territory conquest in Darkfall for example.
Any other type of PvP should be funneled to MOBAs.
Problem with Darkfall (and now with EVE), is that the game gave too much freedom to single players who are completely free to behave like jerks, griefing newbies and carebears (which make the bulk of PvP players) , and killing the game population in the process.
Games like Darkfall and EVE should be about Territory conquest, Guild vs Guild, Realm vs Realm.
There should be serious restrictions on 1vs1 PvP because that's what ruin those games.
PVE should be viable in those games (it used to be in EVE, not now), because the majority of PvPers are carebears and want to be able to PVE in a relatively safe environment, for then enjoy PvP in major events.
Imho these two companies running the two Darkfall versions should just combine into their final form for 1 single verson..
All my posts in various PvP games are usually along those lines.
And usually I get attacked by the 'predators' who do not understand this simple concept.
The problem is that games company listen to them, but they are a minority.
EVE made this mistake.
It used to be a balanced PvP game, now carebears are not able to enjoy the game as they used to, and they are now quitting the game.
I miss the Forumfall community pre-2009 though. I miss it so much.
"The simple is the seal of the true and beauty is the splendor of truth" -Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Authored 139 missions in Vendetta Online and 6 tracks in Distance
Darkfall allowed didnt have enough mechanics to stop griefing(blue blocking ect), zerging(1000+zergs),meaningful racial warfare(that would put stops to ARAC clans and give new players a chance at viable pvp), content for the sheep to do other than to be farmed(game severely needed non pvp stuff or things that didn't focus just so you can pvp).
I mean people were litterally calling out the reason new player retention was low and why it was only the best players(whom just nutcupped and joined a clan/alliance) vs the rest. Yet those same people were actively called out in the forums for just killing noobs all day long.
For pvp alone the game was really good, but for everything else it just sucked compounded with the terrible mechanics in place to prevent things like griefing.
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I am hoping crowfall gets it right, but already there are things I don't like such as campaigns lasting only 3-6 months, some aspects of the combat(CC fest) the game might be zerg vs zerg, overwhelming graphic effects on skills,lack of meaningful rewards.
MurderHerd
5. Jack of all Trades was the only viable build.