Eq2

[myseren]

*grabbing the excuse to post something positive with both hands*

Just wanted to say well done to Nevrax on the NPE they have listened to the players and made changes that were suggested, they have brough great new ppl to the game *hugs Pix and Lix*
But best of all, the free trial has ensured that never again should there be that dead feeling of logging to noobie land, there should always be ppl on to give more of an alive feel to the game.
Same with universe, great idea to help noobies settle in, i just agree with other posters that now we need an OOC universe for pointless conversations that are oh so fun (anyone guess im 80% socialiser lol?)

[rushin]

Same with universe, great idea to help noobies settle in, i just agree with other posters that now we need an OOC universe for pointless conversations that are oh so fun (anyone guess im 80% socialiser lol?)

indeed, and would be great to see a chat channel. I've been called a 'forum nazi' and a few other choice things on a several occasions for asking people to stop incessent chatter about other games/football/etc on universe.

thats fine, i rarely read it now. sure it doesnt matter too much you pissed off one older player that actually quite enjoys helping out newer ones, but when you piss off everyone by being so rude then there will be little point to the channel.

and 'you' not being directed at anyone in particular, hope that was obvious but hard to tell sometimes

[runai515]

A lot of people are reminded of EQ2 or WoW; however I'm reminded more of Anarchy Online. As it's the game I think I'm beginning to transition from. The learning curves in both of these games are very similar--both are steep and the "newbie isle" or "free account" are nothing like the paid versions. At any rate, there are always n00bs and morons at low levels and high levels just as there are always CEOs who really have no idea what they're doing. It is simply unavoidable. But one thing is for sure, the n00bs are usually weeded out by the community as they prove themselves difficult to play with, or in some cases they grow up and learn to behave themselves.

At any rate, I like this unlimited trial. It gives me time to get used to the game controls and game environment. I don't ever expect there to be as many quests in the main game as in newbieland, since most of these quests are designed as tutorials to get you used to how quests are done and what types you'll encounter. And if you notice, most games are like this. My only hope out there that has a potential for disappointment is this: Will the mainland be as laid back as the newb isle is? Anarchy Online is a great game, but I think I'm starting to get so tired of all the pressure to level and raid since those two aspects are required for you to become "ungimped." I hope that SoR is relaxed, that being a little gimpy doesn't really matter...that the word gimpy can't really apply due to the intense level of uniqueness with each character.

[rothimar]

Personally, the unlimited trial is what attracted me to the game, a chance to get a really good feel for the interface, combat, magic, crafting, harvesting, teaming, the missions interface, and see how my graphics card would handle the game without having to pay a dime.

As soon as I realized that Ryzom is the game I have been looking for, I subscribed without hesitation. I played DAoC, ran a guild there for about 1.5 years. I played WoW beta, I played EQ2 from launch until early Feb. of this year, ran a guild there as well. I have tried other games as well, but wouldn't say I actually "played" them.

I have yet to find a game that has a better community than Ryzom, or that can match the level of graphical intensity AND be playable with almost full "high quality" graphics and no lag with the system I have.

The trial island for Ryzom is about 5 times bigger than that in EQ2, much more interesting, and a heck of a lot more fun. I am sure there ARE people who simply stay on the island, but those people group with people like me who go on to subscribe, and offer quality of play to the trial.

EQ2 was released way too early (I would say late alpha, early beta quality) due to the release of WoW, and is full of bugs, over-adjusted statistics, and after 2 years of operation, the still haven't got the thing stable enough or balanced anywhere close to enough. The game doesn't live up to the advertising pre-launch. Heck, it doesn't even match the lore from the first EQ very well. It's a grind game.

Ryzom is extremely well done, in my humble opinion, and the lore is actually interesting. Free or paid account? Who cares... the game is as much fun (in different ways) on the trial island as it is on mainland.

No game is perfect for everyone, and everyone has an idea that they would like to see added to their choice game. It's all about finding what's right for you.

Ryzom is right for me.

[iphdrunk]

Nice post although...

EQ2 was released way too early (I would say late alpha, early beta quality) due to the release of WoW, and is full of bugs, over-adjusted statistics, and after 2 years of operation, the still haven't got the thing stable enough or balanced anywhere close to enough

To be honest, this point is more a similarity than a difference, having been around for a while To some extent, RoS is like a "second" more polished Ryzom launch, but Ryzom was also launched 2 years ago, it was a rushed release, features were disabled and half implemented, patches changed gameplay elements radically, we endured a "spring clean", outposts were released after a year and no where as much feature complete as hinted. Invasions were put on hold. The rite system was spagetthi code, unmanageable and put on hold until a better system was put in place.

Don't get me worng, things have improved a lot, a Ryzom today is robust and has a lot of features (bugs remain, but more as minor annoyances) but the grass is not greener, and Ryzom launch was not a flawless, perfect one...

Otoh, sorry for raining a bit on your parade.

[cloudy97]

My only hope out there that has a potential for disappointment is this: Will the mainland be as laid back as the newb isle is? Anarchy Online is a great game, but I think I'm starting to get so tired of all the pressure to level and raid since those two aspects are required for you to become "ungimped." I hope that SoR is relaxed, that being a little gimpy doesn't really matter...that the word gimpy can't really apply due to the intense level of uniqueness with each character.

Well, as you can't gimp your character in Ryzom you don't have to worry about that. Getting the "wrong" stanza at levelup is just a matter of getting the right one next time you ding. Building your character has less to do with buying skills at the trainer than combining them into actions (someone said it reminds of outfitting ships in EVE).

Besides, you'll find plenty of folks around that choose to play a bit gimped: they melee in LA pants, cast spells in MA, etc.

[blckbird]

I think it was me who equated stanzes to ship fitting.

As a new player I have to say that I really enjoyed playing the RoS as it introduced me to the mechanics of the game in a fun, step-by-step way. It meant that when I did travel to the mainland and join the Dragonblades I was able to play along with their activities instead of hounding them with questions. I still have questions but I like to think they're on the finer points of the game than real basics.

Having said that, I DID do research on the game, mainly reading these forums. I always try to read up on what the players think of the game to give me a better idea of whether I'll enjoy the game or not than the marketing hype. When I read about the lack of quest structure on the mainland I knew that it would probably suit me as I've been looking for something more player-content based like the tabletop RPGs I used to play.

I guess it all depends if a newcomer just plays the trial and relies on that to provide a full idea of the game or whether they delve deeper to get a true outlook on the game. To be honest, I've never played an MMORPG where the newbie areas are anything like the full on game once you get going so I'd say reading forums is pretty essential to judging if a game is going to be right or not. (I got totally stung by Guild Wars by not doing that)

[mugendo]

The NPE introduces the player to the Ryzom experience of the stanza system, the community, the 'living' world, an introduction and understanding of the skill system, an uderstanding that teamwork is promoted, FULL SUPPORT SYSTEM OF GM/GUIDES to assist and answer questions.
When I signed the contract to come to the mainland I knew I was entering a world of diversity, a place of friends where I can participate in intelligent discussion, learn the habitats of the creatures, explore the lands, Quite simply develop my character in any way I choose.
I regard the NPE as a filter to protect ME (the paying customer) from the LEETERZ and GODZ of online gaming.
The players who will enjoy the main will arrive when they are ready, I managed the transition based on the LIMITED trial we had, heck ..I even went back to the NPE as a paying customer...(can I have a rebate for that ?)
And if the trial players REALLY REALLY MUST PLAY THE MAIN....they can try paying ONE month and if it is not for them...what harm is done ?

[mugendo]

anyway, I need to decide on a name. does Umoto or Bonbalan sound better? or are both terrible rp names?

Well Bonbalan has more beat to it ......*jumps onto Drums*

Bop bam a lu lop a wam bam boo
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Wop bam a lu lam a wam bam boo

I got a girl named Sue
She knows just what to do
Got a girl named Sue
She knows just what to do
She rocks to the east
She rocks to the west
She's the girl that I know best

Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Wop bam a lu lam a wam bam boo

I got a girl named Daisy
She almost drives me crazy
Got a girl named Daisy
She almost drives me crazy
She knows how to love me, yes indeed
Boy I don't know what you do to me

Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Wop bam a lu lam a wam bam boo
Wop bam a lu lam a wam bam boo
Wop bam a lu lam a wam bam boo
Yeah
Unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Wop bam a lu lam a wam bam boo

I got a girl named Daisy
She almost drives me crazy
Got a girl named Daisy
She almost drives me crazy
She knows how to love me, yes indeed
Boy I don't know what you do to me
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Tutti frutti unruly
Wop bam a lu lam a wam bam boo


I just found my new diety.

[toblakai]

Well, concerning RoS, I am a good example that it was a great move from Nervax side. I did try the SoR trial something like a year ago, and It took me about 3 hours to consider this game a waste of time (well, everyone makes mistakes ^_^ ). When I heard about a free trial, with unlimited game time, I though that I might give the game another try, and this time I was very impressed, have been playing the game ever since. For me if a trial makes you want to try the game, it’s a good one. And considering that Ryzom does not have any activation fee, only subscription one, if someone really doesn’t like the mainland so much, he can quit without wasting any significant money. In my opinion RoS more “typical” quest based gameplay is more appealing to most players (especially those who played games like WoW or EQ before), but also catches some interest by showing you some cool game mechanics. Giving your usual open ended SoR content to a totally “green” player is more likely to scare him off than anything else (being a good example myself ;P ). There are some quests in RoS that we could do without though (your generic “kill bandit leader” being one of them) but overall, RoS is a good trial as it is.