Trial almost over, the nitty gritty of it all
Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 2:51 am
I have two days left on the trial so I decided to write up some of my impressions/experiences for better or worse.
I'll start with the things that I thought this game does well as those are generally easier to read for the game's current playerbase than adverse comments are.
The good :
-Graphics and detail of the scenery. The tree sways in the wind, the water, the rain and thunder in the clouds are all impressive.
-Customization level of actions/equipment.
-Ability to be a fighter, mage and a crafter all in one character.
-Intricate balance that must be kept such as options/credits with actions, increased protection at the cost of durability or other statistic, slower casting time on spells to reduce sap cost, etc.
-Detailed crafting system which depends heavily on materials used.
-Interesting skill system that branches off in categories.
-Ability to purchase pack mules to store items/materials, albeit a bit costly.
-While combat is so so, the animations are neat.
The bad :
-Graphics of monsters/animals seem dull when compared to surrounding scenery.
-Not much variance in monster models, a lot of reuse.
-Solo play is quite hard, too much so I'd say.
-Forced grouping due to unrealistic solo play.
-Lots of downtime in between fights (solo) waiting for very long self heal reset timer.
-Generic skills : Matis=Fyros=Tryker=the other race. I made three characters of different races and never once felt different other than my surroundings and appearance. My skills were all the same. Increase damage, acid, cold, heal other, slow, fear...etc. I was told races don't begin to differ until Elemental Magic around level 125 (yikes!). That is a very long time to wait until you see a difference in your race.
-Grouping with others made difficult due to very wide range of levels (and low population).
-Inability to run from a fight. Once engaged it's either you die or it dies. No inbetween.
-Missions are fun at first on the starter island but they get old quickly and the lack of quests in the general sense is bad. I completed a mission and now have completed part of a Rite (whatever that is...in game doesn't tell but I assume it's close to the idea of a quest) yet my Encyclopedia doesn't tell me where to go or what to do next. Confusing and frustrating to say the least.
-Steep learning curve. While the intricacy of all of the stats is great, it's so cumbersome to new players and the game does little to explain it.
-Large break in starter island difficulty and mainland difficulty. Once I was able to move around quite well on the starter island I came to the mainland (Fight around 30). I go to target an animal and attack and I proceed to get ganged by two or three of his close friends as well. Hardly a welcome change from the mostly one-on-one combat of the starter island to the mostly several-on-one combat of the mainland. Sure, there are places to isolate animals but for the most part they move in packs and attack in packs.
-Dependance on crafted gear for outfitting yourself. There are no loot drops to equip yourself with. As a crafter by trade I like this aspect mostly, but it's disappointing there is no 'loot' in the game besides crafting materials (and jewelry drops from large bosses I was told in game).
-While mining, native animals feel the need to eyeball me and run up to me. Now, ordinarily this wouldn't be a big deal but when they're about three times my size and are blocking my mine so that I can't click on it to harvest it, then it becomes a problem. I have to act quickly to mine both sources I find and these 'eyeballing' creatures get in the way and cause me to miss out on my second source. They should just eyeball at a distance instead of running up to get petted.
-Mounts cost 500k? Yikes!
-Can't logout to change characters. Have to quit game and reopen game. Ugh.
The Ugly :
-Swimming. Why does it have to look so turbo speed?
I've decided I won't be subscribing after the trial ends. Based on my own preferences I feel this game, while having good potential mainly due to its customizability in all facets, just doesn't have enough of the things I need to fork over a substantial amount of money a month to play. This list is meant more for the developers than any player. If you feel the need to respond and say how this point or that point is wrong because of this or that, well you can do that, but it won't serve any purpose to anyone. These are my experiences and nothing a devout fan might say changes them. This is meant more of an insight into how I viewed the game on my trial. Potential, but still lacking in key areas, at least to me.
One last thing, the in game community seemed very helpful and willing to help with money, gear and guidance. While I don't like being spoonfed with gear and money and feel it ultimately detracts from a player's experience, I appreciated their intent and it helped to foster a welcoming atmosphere amidst the harsh environment.
I'm sure I've missed some points for each category, but this is an overall summary.
Enjoy.
I'll start with the things that I thought this game does well as those are generally easier to read for the game's current playerbase than adverse comments are.
The good :
-Graphics and detail of the scenery. The tree sways in the wind, the water, the rain and thunder in the clouds are all impressive.
-Customization level of actions/equipment.
-Ability to be a fighter, mage and a crafter all in one character.
-Intricate balance that must be kept such as options/credits with actions, increased protection at the cost of durability or other statistic, slower casting time on spells to reduce sap cost, etc.
-Detailed crafting system which depends heavily on materials used.
-Interesting skill system that branches off in categories.
-Ability to purchase pack mules to store items/materials, albeit a bit costly.
-While combat is so so, the animations are neat.
The bad :
-Graphics of monsters/animals seem dull when compared to surrounding scenery.
-Not much variance in monster models, a lot of reuse.
-Solo play is quite hard, too much so I'd say.
-Forced grouping due to unrealistic solo play.
-Lots of downtime in between fights (solo) waiting for very long self heal reset timer.
-Generic skills : Matis=Fyros=Tryker=the other race. I made three characters of different races and never once felt different other than my surroundings and appearance. My skills were all the same. Increase damage, acid, cold, heal other, slow, fear...etc. I was told races don't begin to differ until Elemental Magic around level 125 (yikes!). That is a very long time to wait until you see a difference in your race.
-Grouping with others made difficult due to very wide range of levels (and low population).
-Inability to run from a fight. Once engaged it's either you die or it dies. No inbetween.
-Missions are fun at first on the starter island but they get old quickly and the lack of quests in the general sense is bad. I completed a mission and now have completed part of a Rite (whatever that is...in game doesn't tell but I assume it's close to the idea of a quest) yet my Encyclopedia doesn't tell me where to go or what to do next. Confusing and frustrating to say the least.
-Steep learning curve. While the intricacy of all of the stats is great, it's so cumbersome to new players and the game does little to explain it.
-Large break in starter island difficulty and mainland difficulty. Once I was able to move around quite well on the starter island I came to the mainland (Fight around 30). I go to target an animal and attack and I proceed to get ganged by two or three of his close friends as well. Hardly a welcome change from the mostly one-on-one combat of the starter island to the mostly several-on-one combat of the mainland. Sure, there are places to isolate animals but for the most part they move in packs and attack in packs.
-Dependance on crafted gear for outfitting yourself. There are no loot drops to equip yourself with. As a crafter by trade I like this aspect mostly, but it's disappointing there is no 'loot' in the game besides crafting materials (and jewelry drops from large bosses I was told in game).
-While mining, native animals feel the need to eyeball me and run up to me. Now, ordinarily this wouldn't be a big deal but when they're about three times my size and are blocking my mine so that I can't click on it to harvest it, then it becomes a problem. I have to act quickly to mine both sources I find and these 'eyeballing' creatures get in the way and cause me to miss out on my second source. They should just eyeball at a distance instead of running up to get petted.
-Mounts cost 500k? Yikes!
-Can't logout to change characters. Have to quit game and reopen game. Ugh.
The Ugly :
-Swimming. Why does it have to look so turbo speed?
I've decided I won't be subscribing after the trial ends. Based on my own preferences I feel this game, while having good potential mainly due to its customizability in all facets, just doesn't have enough of the things I need to fork over a substantial amount of money a month to play. This list is meant more for the developers than any player. If you feel the need to respond and say how this point or that point is wrong because of this or that, well you can do that, but it won't serve any purpose to anyone. These are my experiences and nothing a devout fan might say changes them. This is meant more of an insight into how I viewed the game on my trial. Potential, but still lacking in key areas, at least to me.
One last thing, the in game community seemed very helpful and willing to help with money, gear and guidance. While I don't like being spoonfed with gear and money and feel it ultimately detracts from a player's experience, I appreciated their intent and it helped to foster a welcoming atmosphere amidst the harsh environment.
I'm sure I've missed some points for each category, but this is an overall summary.
Enjoy.
