First Impressions...

[schuttek]

Hey

So... I started playing 3 days ago... well, 2 really... My first day, the servers were down most of the time on Sunday/Monday... really bad first impression, but from forum post, news items, it seems like it was truly a rare event, so, fair enough. Downtime happens to the best of us.

Anyway, so I went to noobieland and made a female Tryker called Tavernier... trained her up good in fighting (level 33-34 by now), and a good deal of crafting (22something). I've intentionally slacked off on magic because I've played mostly caster / support roles in other games starting out. I'm trying to get into foraging, but I'm still a bit at loose ends (level 12 something), and really having trouble getting resource detection (or what's it called) and prospecting to work, but I guess I'll just have to invest more time into it...

My MMORPG background is 10 months of WoW (4 level 60's, one mage in endgame), and further in the past 1.5 years of Eve Online, mainly as a mercenary PvP'er.

The things I really like about Ryzom, so far:

- The whole concept of the skill tree. I'm definetly looking forward to basically creating my own "class" by choosing which skills to enhance.
- The crafting system. Very... how would you say... comprehensive.
- The community*. I was amazed, actually... I've been reading up forums for a while about Ryzom, and people keep pointing out how friendly/helpful the players are. It's true!
- The graphics... wow... drool... 'nuff said. (and yeah... an Nvidia 1900XTX does help )


The things that make me doubt buying a subscription (And this is where I ask you old timers to correct me, cause I've only seen the noobie island):

- Combat is way too fast. I was single hitting most of my opponents with my fighting skills, equal in level (getting 1k xp or more) as soon as I got a good 2 hander axe. Even in a large group, combat didn't seem to go for anywhere near the level of strategy or duration than it would in WoW.
- Combat is overly simple. As a fighter, I had one action that hit real hard, and that's pretty much all I was using. DoT's don't really matter if you're hitting a 200hp mob for 180hp...
- Missions were often very easy, sometimes brutally obscure or long, and the awarded XP for completing them didn't relate to the effort involved.
- PvP: nerf Self Heal... I mean... c'mon...

* About the community: I live in Australia, so I see different timezones come and go. There was definetly a significant change in the attitude of the region channel when it started getting late for EU, and getting prime time for US. uh, no... not for the better.

In any case... Ryzom, I like, and I'll try to sort out paying for an account sometime this week... see what the mainland holds

[deathyec]

I'm even newer than you are, but just wanted to chime in with "Hi, Tave!" You've been a very helpful person.

[katriell]

- Combat is way too fast. I was single hitting most of my opponents with my fighting skills, equal in level (getting 1k xp or more) as soon as I got a good 2 hander axe. Even in a large group, combat didn't seem to go for anywhere near the level of strategy or duration than it would in WoW.
- Combat is overly simple. As a fighter, I had one action that hit real hard, and that's pretty much all I was using. DoT's don't really matter if you're hitting a 200hp mob for 180hp...

It gets harder at later levels. Boss mobs and outpost PvP especially require strategy. The distinctions between weapons become more important - an axe does a lot of damage but it might be so slow that your opponent can hit you more than you hit it. You'll feel the difference between a sword with 21 speed and a sword with 24 speed. The Ignore Armor stanza is an advantage of the pike. Etcetera.
And, when you're hitting a gazillion-hp mob for at most 1000-1200 damage...things will matter.

- Missions were often very easy, sometimes brutally obscure or long, and the awarded XP for completing them didn't relate to the effort involved.

The mainland does not have missions like those in Silan, aside from about a dozen special "rites." The mainland missions are very simple and rather pointless by themselves, yielding only tribe/race/faction fame and sometimes a small amount of dappers in reward. But I've found that they can be quite fun when done in a large team, or when you wrap your own story around them (one of my guild's best RP events was based on doing some missions for a tribe).

- PvP: nerf Self Heal... I mean... c'mon...

Self heal won't help you much in outpost PvP, with multiple elemental mages casting 2000+ damage spells on you. Movement/position and use of aura and power stanzas is more important.

[kibsword]

Hi and welcome to Atys! *huggles*. Lets see if I can clear up what happens on the mainland about some of your down points

The things that make me doubt buying a subscription (And this is where I ask you old timers to correct me, cause I've only seen the noobie island):

- Combat is way too fast. I was single hitting most of my opponents with my fighting skills, equal in level (getting 1k xp or more) as soon as I got a good 2 hander axe. Even in a large group, combat didn't seem to go for anywhere near the level of strategy or duration than it would in WoW.

On the mainland you will be glad to hear that this doesnt generally happen. The combat is mostly group oriented, although soloing is possible although slower, and the fights can last several minutes, generally you wont get good xp for 1 or 2 hitting anything.

- Combat is overly simple. As a fighter, I had one action that hit real hard, and that's pretty much all I was using. DoT's don't really matter if you're hitting a 200hp mob for 180hp...

Again this is very true about shorter fights, however in longer fights it is very much different. You will often find yourself running out of stamina unless a healer heals you. You can also get feint attacks, and attack after feint credits, attack after dodge or parry attacks, also your position as a meleer in relation to the mages and mob will make a difference. The mob will try to get to your healers, so you have to keep taunting it and standing between it and the team, pushing it forward away from your collegues. As a melee'r your role can be vital in your team's survival.

- Missions were often very easy, sometimes brutally obscure or long, and the awarded XP for completing them didn't relate to the effort involved.

Missions arn't a huge part of the mainland, they won't give item or xp rewards. The most important missions are rites, which involve completeing a series of missions and earning a piece of lore and perhaps a special skill at the end of them. The content doesn't revolve much around the missions, as there is far more to do.

- PvP: nerf Self Heal... I mean... c'mon...

Actually for PvP self heal is quite well balanced, it will generaly give you a few extra seconds to live in pvp, just enough to finish your opponent. As the pvp is mostly group oriented this makes it less important.

but yeah as you say, give the mainland a go and see what happens

[evalisa]

Picture this:
A group of three will proberly need to fight something 10 levels higher, maybe more, to get a good chunk of xp each.

You, the main tank are toe to toe with a large Kitin, your holding its attention as your healer keeps you alive and the mage blasts it.

Now, your having to wear heavy armor in order to keep the damage you take minimalised, however this means that you can only make about 10 "Increase damage" attacks before running out of stamina, and that could miss (The higher the mob the less you will hit) do you keep mashing your "Increase damage" or do you swap to "Accurate attack" or prehaps that Bleed?

Now, all's going well, about 30 seconds into the fight and the kitin is down to 50% health, but then anouther one rushing in before you notice it and jumps the mage, killing him in two hits and then makesa move to the priest.

You have to taunt the additional kitin onto you before it gets to the priest, However, if you move yourself out from between the first kitin and the priest, then that one wil lattack him instaid.

Assuming you get boath kitin attacking you, the priest may get time to rez the mage, but then hes going to have to dump a ton of healing on you, how wil lyou keep agro on yourself and keep them off the other two? prehaps yet anouther change of skill is needed? and anouther re-position.




hehe, it gets compicated, imo a fighters job is the hardest

[acridiel]

hehe, it gets compicated, imo a fighters job is the hardest

Yeah, and I´m realy beginning to like it
Was main Healer for a long time... beginning to fight in earnest now.
It´s Fun. Especialy in the above mentioned situations.
ATM my main Makro is: "/shout RUN!! I can´t hold all of them!!" *eG*

Acridiel

[high1976]

Hey Tavernier,

We grouped already a few days ago and it was fun. But are you the Tavernier from EVE (Nodo, tavernier, ...) that was in Syncore?

Deia(neira)

[schuttek]

Thanks for all the replies

"But are you the Tavernier from EVE (Nodo, tavernier, ...) that was in Syncore?"

oh my... I've been discovered! wow...

Hi Deia, long time

[high1976]

oh my... I've been discovered! wow...

Hi Deia, long time

Hey Tav, long time no see. I'm new here too, so we could hook up from time to time