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Post by EchoVamper on Oct 6, 2009 10:02:13 GMT -5
I've run into a stretch here where I haven't seen many of you around (many possible and plausible reasons for that I'm sure), and I'm just wondering how everyone is doing? Are you all having fun at this game?
While it doesn't yet seem to be the "dream" game for a role player, I'm enjoying myself. I have a Chanter and a Templar ascended, and I have two Mages getting close. The game hasn't yet captured me the way DAoC and SWG did, but I do find myself looking forward to spending an hour or two in-game when schedule permits. There is an odd "zen like" calm that happens in this game at times that is quite nice. I'm not pushing hard with anything at this point, just seeing the sights and finding out what I enjoy in the game.
I'm curious as to what others' are thinking at this point?
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Post by Morreion on Oct 6, 2009 12:52:39 GMT -5
Aion is a mix of good and not-so-good to me, but overall, I have to say I'm having fun.
The gameplay is generally good, and the characters and armor look very good. Aion knows the carrot-and-stick approach to hook MMO players in. I keep reading 'the grind' will set in at upper levels, so we will see then. And the Abyss is the make-or-break feature that I haven't tried yet. The interface is hit-or-miss; I dislike the friends system (I want a mini-window always up that shows which friends are on at a glance, a la DAoC!) and the chat system has plenty of room for improvement, even leaving aside the gold spammer issue.
I was just discussing Crab Norris (than elite giant crab on the beach in Verteron that smacks many a player down) with Gid via email- what great fun that is! ;D I like surprises and out-of-the-ordinary things in games. Great touch!
Overall, I like it and hope they make some UI improvements. The quality of chat and the lack of a big social component is something that most games face today...one major thing that I think would improve the social/grouping experience would be to give bonus group exp like DAoC did (or simply stop dividing up the exp earned in a group into increasingly smaller portions as more people join the group).
By the way, what's with all of those hyphenated-phrases in my above message? *laughs*
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Post by EchoVamper on Oct 6, 2009 13:32:44 GMT -5
The friends/chat/social system is indeed sub-standard for this game. It's particularly tough for one who wants to role play a little. I'd also give Aion a plus on graphics and performance. And I think their controlled approach to server limits, though frustrating a few times, was the correct one. I was as impressed with Lance's interview as one can be with such things. An example would be his comments about water and swimming (he basically said that until those features are coded correctly and performing up to Aion standards, they will not be seen live in game). If the grind for a Templar STARTS at level 20, then I just don't know what to say.  I actually like that class a whole lot, but it certainly is a hard class to get off the ground. It's been slow going. I've got quite a bit of down time already and have trouble handling even one add. The way I see it right now, at level 12 he would depend heavily on outside heals to do any tanking in a group. It would be interesting to see how buffs and heals change Templar performance at low levels. I've burned through a bunch of bandages, and wait eagerly for the regenerative skills to arrive. I have partially attributed the difficulty to gear, so I have started an armorsmithing project. I'll try to get him geared up better, and then see if I have any kinah left. I spend a lot of time hunting flux and aether powder since I don't have the kinah to buy it at broker prices.  Khelfaer, however, is a grinding machine. The only real downtime is to unload his backpack. The Mage class is a blast (literally) to play, but they sure do burn through the mana. I don't know about you all, but I haven't noticed many groups out and about in Verteron. Maybe that all starts later. Occasionally I'll see a group of 2 or 3. Nevertheless, I am having fun and will continue to enjoy things, take it easy, and look for you all in game. PS: gmail handle is echovamper if you ever want to correspond that way. |
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Post by EchoVamper on Oct 6, 2009 13:43:46 GMT -5
I was just discussing Crab Norris (than elite giant crab on the beach in Verteron that smacks many a player down) with Gid via email- what great fun that is! ;D I like surprises and out-of-the-ordinary things in games. Great touch! Yes indeed. I've noticed a couple of those mobs. There's one that will attack you in Poeta out at Agar's Farm if one is not careful. It surprised Khelfaer and he barely made it out alive by limping deep into Cliona Lake. He was lucky to make it. That's a great feature. So many MMO's will just add content and leave the existing world to stagnate when they could actually make the base world much more vital by coding in a few unexpected twists and variations. |
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Post by Morreion on Oct 6, 2009 14:01:58 GMT -5
It looks like the serious grouping starts in the late teens from the LFG channel messages. FYI it looks like at least in Verteron you can do the group quests in a certain area or go to another area where you can solo quest/grind (repeatable kill quests), so both options are there (in the 10-20 zone at least). Beware of the elite mobs, they are very tough from the limited experiences I've had!
Oh, the whole flying experience is a cool mechanic. I'm enjoying that as well.
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Post by Oatik on Oct 6, 2009 20:56:15 GMT -5
I'm mostly in slow play mode these days, maybe one night a week plus Saturday and Sunday mornings. It's so hard to keep track of who is on and with which character. I need a universal friends and alts list across all my characters!
I enjoy the game play quite a bit, I run up hills just to jump/glide as far as I can.
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Post by Morreion on Oct 7, 2009 6:48:56 GMT -5
Oat, you've touched on a fairly serious problem. The very user-unfriendly friends list mechanic does not help the community feeling at all. With all of the chat spam flying by, it is very easy to miss a message that a friend has joined the game...not to mention having to add everybody's alts manually to all of your alts' friends list. Frustrating.
I made a rant thread on the VN Aion boards about this, it is so frustrating.
The gameplay itself is fine so far, the UI needs the most work.
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Jaema
Getting There
Posts: 137
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Post by Jaema on Oct 7, 2009 9:03:26 GMT -5
I am having fun but I'm not totally captivated, if that makes sense. I"m not entirely sure why, could just be any game will get the same reaction from me now. I hate the implicit penalty for grouping that made Morr and Jaema hunt side by side but not grouped in the early levels and also how hard it is for them to work together if one does a quest that the other hasn't.
Anyway, I seem to be tending towards more game time on the weekends, though I grab a week night generally too but it's not very predictable. I could probably make a point to make it in for an event or special hunt or something but that is generally the kind of thing that's guild related and I haven't made that committment yet either.
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Post by ariesel on Oct 7, 2009 11:33:53 GMT -5
Having a blast! A lot of that has to do with having a permanent partner to play with me.  I'm withholding judgement on the total game experience for a bit, for I think NCSoft is still dealing with the enormous amount of players and the whole spam thing. We'll see how PvP goes as a healer. I'll probably be screaming like a little girl most of the time. ;D |
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Post by Oatik on Oct 13, 2009 13:08:55 GMT -5
I'll probably be screaming like a little girl most of the time.
Hey that's just like me and Kul!
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I actually like that class a whole lot, but it certainly is a hard class to get off the ground. It's been slow going. I've got quite a bit of down time already and have trouble handling even one add. The way I see it right now, at level 12 he would depend heavily on outside heals to do any tanking in a group. It would be interesting to see how buffs and heals change Templar performance at low levels.
