I will break down my review into several areas I think everyone will be interested. Now I have yet to play the opening for dragon, but the openings are only thing different as the first zone is all the same Kingsmouth.
Graphics: The graphics were realistic and beautiful. Extremely deteailed environments. Streets, doors buildings, and all else is properly sized and appropiate for character size. Animations in generally were run of the mill nothing special. Battling animations for the monsters are great, even a few different ways they will die depending on how you kill them (Ive seen my sword decapitate nearly and a pistol to the head take it off.) One drawback with graphics, certain quests with special visual effects (like poison floating in the water thats deadly) are hard to see or impossible to see with anything other than ultra settings. So those with lower capacity rigs may have a hard time seeing detail in the game.
Sounds: Good job, the music is subtle unless you discover a boss or named. The random sound effects like a blackhawk flying overhead helped the emersion onto a zombie apocalypse compkletely. I have no complaints on the sounds at all.
Character creation: Very bland, I know they said it will be beefier at launch, but its hard to not look like everyone else right now. Character runnig animations are bad, and how characters look well think of oblivion, they need a lot of work there.]
Gameplay: A very party oriented game, most major quests will require help. Only way to solo themis to be an asshat and steal others quest items while they are fighting etc (I wouldnt my wife and I saw one of these types get banned, GM was professional and was interviewing all in the area and then banned him). I enjoyed the fact that a lot of teamwork is needed. Dont expect quest guides more than a circle saying its around here. They really make you search and think. Every quest is fully cs with voice acting, much like TOR minus any choices.
Skill wheel: Confusing to begin with and real easy to gimp yourself early on if you dont know how to work it correctly. Once figure out its pretty easy to play around with.
Combat: Nothing too different than any other game other than you can cast and shoot on the run. Healing is easy as you dont need a heal target, heals will jump to enemies current target.
I cant think much more to add, but I will answer questions. All in all I am glad I bought the lifetime. It seems an homae to old school mmos when they required teamwork and time to get done.
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My 48 hour review thus far of the secret worldFollow
Kay.
gbaji wrote:
It'll be close, but Romney has the momentum.
I'm not sure what's going on here. Looks like a decent review. What's with the Sub-D? Is NDA not lifted or something?
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
~ Matsuo Basho
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
~ Matsuo Basho
NDA continues to apply to closed beta, as of right now, and will continue to do so for the forseeable future.
The open beta weekends are not covered by the NDA, but they have not started yet--first one is tomorrow. In any case, closed beta players are still bound by the NDA. What that distinction means, I have no clue.
[EDIT]
Looking into it, I'm getting the feeling that it means data-mined material all remains under NDA. It also means that screenshots taken during the open beta are allowed to be posted, but those that are not cannot be. Finally, it seems that having access to closed beta doesn't mean you have access to open beta, which clears up some of the conflict (it's not like you're playing a version of the game that is and is not covered by the NDA).
Edited, May 10th 2012 9:54pm by idiggory
The open beta weekends are not covered by the NDA, but they have not started yet--first one is tomorrow. In any case, closed beta players are still bound by the NDA. What that distinction means, I have no clue.
[EDIT]
Looking into it, I'm getting the feeling that it means data-mined material all remains under NDA. It also means that screenshots taken during the open beta are allowed to be posted, but those that are not cannot be. Finally, it seems that having access to closed beta doesn't mean you have access to open beta, which clears up some of the conflict (it's not like you're playing a version of the game that is and is not covered by the NDA).
Edited, May 10th 2012 9:54pm by idiggory
gbaji wrote:
It'll be close, but Romney has the momentum.
NDA is not lifted until open beta begins tomorrow - correct. So those of us who are in the closed beta, a group of which I may or may not be a part of, aren't supposed to be talking about this kind of stuff yet. Especially datamined materials.
So yeah, "reviews" like this shouldn't be up for another couple days.
So yeah, "reviews" like this shouldn't be up for another couple days.
31 posts
I cant understand the hate I am getting, I tried to keep as unbiased and professional as possible considering Im not un biased nor a professional
I bet it's residual from previous shenanigans and not some imagined vendetta.
George Carlin wrote:
I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.
Current Time Killer
Ehllfhire wrote:
I cant understand the hate I am getting, I tried to keep as unbiased and professional as possible considering Im not un biased nor a professional
idiggory, King of Bards wrote:
NDA continues to apply to closed beta, as of right now, and will continue to do so for the forseeable future.
The open beta weekends are not covered by the NDA, but they have not started yet--first one is tomorrow. In any case, closed beta players are still bound by the NDA. What that distinction means, I have no clue.
The open beta weekends are not covered by the NDA, but they have not started yet--first one is tomorrow. In any case, closed beta players are still bound by the NDA. What that distinction means, I have no clue.
Someone on another forum wrote:
Wow, you've got an awesome writing style.! I really dig the narrator's back story, humor, sarcasm, and the plethora of pop culture references. Altogether a refreshingly different RotR journal (not that I don't like the more traditional ones, mind you).
Poldaran wrote:
Lots of folks don't take kindly to that.
Obligatory YouTube video.
#swaggerjacker
I played this past weekend, only got to play on Sunday.
The open beta weekend only had London and Kingsmouth playable. I made 2 characters; the first one I played for about 5 hours not getting very far. The second one I managed to get to the end of the Kingsmouth quests in about 6 hours.
It seems like a very short game, There are 8 quest areas according to the exploring achievement and 5 dungeons. So basically I got through about 1/8 of the game in 6 hours (while posting in the zam wiki). While the other areas should be a little longer I hope they pull about 20 more instances out of their asses before launch.
Questing requires lots of thought and sometimes checking online. For example one of the quests in Kingsmouth you have to go get into this guys computer and guess his password (Vivaldi), using a picture and 2 password hints. Hitting "b" in the game will open a browser which you can check things out while playing.
There were a few things I was disappointed with in the open beta:
1. I couldn't find anything about cabals (guilds). I checked all over London and the user interface but found no mention to them anywhere. I was really hoping to see how the formation process went and what the user interface was for them. I seem to recall Age of Conan's guild interface being pretty crappy.
2. Many monsters abilities put a mark on the ground so you can get out of the way if you are paying attention. However if you are in water you can't see them.
3. Eyes can be buggy making some conversations hilarious or creepy. The eyes will randomly look in directions and sometimes change colors. AoC had this bug also, but worse since I saw a few times where their eyes would leave their skull.
4. Clothing is segregated by sex and all characters are the same size. There went my hope of making a huge black man (think Coffey in the Green Mile) wearing a pink tutu while smashing it up with a sledge hammer.
The open beta weekend only had London and Kingsmouth playable. I made 2 characters; the first one I played for about 5 hours not getting very far. The second one I managed to get to the end of the Kingsmouth quests in about 6 hours.
It seems like a very short game, There are 8 quest areas according to the exploring achievement and 5 dungeons. So basically I got through about 1/8 of the game in 6 hours (while posting in the zam wiki). While the other areas should be a little longer I hope they pull about 20 more instances out of their asses before launch.
Questing requires lots of thought and sometimes checking online. For example one of the quests in Kingsmouth you have to go get into this guys computer and guess his password (Vivaldi), using a picture and 2 password hints. Hitting "b" in the game will open a browser which you can check things out while playing.
There were a few things I was disappointed with in the open beta:
1. I couldn't find anything about cabals (guilds). I checked all over London and the user interface but found no mention to them anywhere. I was really hoping to see how the formation process went and what the user interface was for them. I seem to recall Age of Conan's guild interface being pretty crappy.
2. Many monsters abilities put a mark on the ground so you can get out of the way if you are paying attention. However if you are in water you can't see them.
3. Eyes can be buggy making some conversations hilarious or creepy. The eyes will randomly look in directions and sometimes change colors. AoC had this bug also, but worse since I saw a few times where their eyes would leave their skull.
4. Clothing is segregated by sex and all characters are the same size. There went my hope of making a huge black man (think Coffey in the Green Mile) wearing a pink tutu while smashing it up with a sledge hammer.
Sarcin wrote:
It seems like a very short game, There are 8 quest areas according to the exploring achievement and 5 dungeons. So basically I got through about 1/8 of the game in 6 hours (while posting in the zam wiki). While the other areas should be a little longer I hope they pull about 20 more instances out of their asses before launch.
They launch in roughly a month. It's not happening.
Oh I know. I'm getting the feeling they are repeating in AoC's footsteps, spending so much time making everything pretty that they forgot to add content.
31 posts
IDrownFish of the Seven Seas wrote:
Sarcin wrote:
It seems like a very short game, There are 8 quest areas according to the exploring achievement and 5 dungeons. So basically I got through about 1/8 of the game in 6 hours (while posting in the zam wiki). While the other areas should be a little longer I hope they pull about 20 more instances out of their asses before launch.
They launch in roughly a month. It's not happening.
You do realize they didnt even give you half the quests on the beta weekend and none of the item quests. If you got through the content in 6 hours your either lying or didnt bother to look. Ive noticed the adhd gamers of today couldnt figure out what to do in the game.
Edited, May 16th 2012 3:15pm by Ehllfhire
Well luckily I am not an "adhd gamer of today" and was able to jump right into the game. And as for how I did it so fast, it wasn't hard. There are many ways to shave time off quests for example I skipped most of the cutscenes figuring I'd save them for when the game is live (plus I heard it makes Ragnar cry). Although I admit I did skip the hulk zombie quest line by the Orochi group, but only because I seem to recall it mentioning you needed a group for the final one.
What do you mean by item quests? Do you mean collection quests or quests from items that drop? You are correct that I didn't encounter any quests from items I looted. As for collection quests I can recall the medical paper one, the voodoo book one, the bomb material one and a few others off the top of my head. If they didn't add over half the quests in the area that was a stupid move on their part.
I managed to find only 2 bugs while playing which is a good sign, but then again most of the game was disabled for the weekend so /shrug.
What do you mean by item quests? Do you mean collection quests or quests from items that drop? You are correct that I didn't encounter any quests from items I looted. As for collection quests I can recall the medical paper one, the voodoo book one, the bomb material one and a few others off the top of my head. If they didn't add over half the quests in the area that was a stupid move on their part.
I managed to find only 2 bugs while playing which is a good sign, but then again most of the game was disabled for the weekend so /shrug.
ohhh tiny amounts of content. sad face. I was pretty interested in this one, but not buying anything pre-launch after experiencing XIV
lolgaxe wrote:
When it comes to sitting around not doing anything for long periods of time, only being active for short windows, and marginal changes and sidegrades I'd say FFXI players were the perfect choice for politicians.
clicky
31 posts
Sarcin wrote:
Well luckily I am not an "adhd gamer of today" and was able to jump right into the game. And as for how I did it so fast, it wasn't hard. There are many ways to shave time off quests for example I skipped most of the cutscenes figuring I'd save them for when the game is live (plus I heard it makes Ragnar cry). Although I admit I did skip the hulk zombie quest line by the Orochi group, but only because I seem to recall it mentioning you needed a group for the final one.
What do you mean by item quests? Do you mean collection quests or quests from items that drop? You are correct that I didn't encounter any quests from items I looted. As for collection quests I can recall the medical paper one, the voodoo book one, the bomb material one and a few others off the top of my head. If they didn't add over half the quests in the area that was a stupid move on their part.
I managed to find only 2 bugs while playing which is a good sign, but then again most of the game was disabled for the weekend so /shrug.
What do you mean by item quests? Do you mean collection quests or quests from items that drop? You are correct that I didn't encounter any quests from items I looted. As for collection quests I can recall the medical paper one, the voodoo book one, the bomb material one and a few others off the top of my head. If they didn't add over half the quests in the area that was a stupid move on their part.
I managed to find only 2 bugs while playing which is a good sign, but then again most of the game was disabled for the weekend so /shrug.
Item quests are found on bodies, notes, phonebooks, cell phones etc throughout the world, you really have to explore to find them as most are off the beaten path.
31 posts
Olorinus wrote:
ohhh tiny amounts of content. sad face. I was pretty interested in this one, but not buying anything pre-launch after experiencing XIV
Its oodles of content, one quest alone an investigation quest took me 3 hours to figure out. Sure you could do it in 5 minutes if you cheated but wheres the fun in that?
I have zero interest in MMO quests that take 3 hours. Just saying.
gbaji wrote:
It'll be close, but Romney has the momentum.
It really doesn't instill confidence in someone when they take three hours to do a five minute quest.
George Carlin wrote:
I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.
Current Time Killer
idiggory, King of Bards wrote:
I have zero interest in MMO quests that take 3 hours. Just saying.
In my day we had to run two and a half hours just to get to the questgiver to get our succubi. Then there was another 10-15 minute run to get to the actual quest. Then you ran back. In contested or Horde territory. Uphill, both ways.
Someone on another forum wrote:
Wow, you've got an awesome writing style.! I really dig the narrator's back story, humor, sarcasm, and the plethora of pop culture references. Altogether a refreshingly different RotR journal (not that I don't like the more traditional ones, mind you).
Psh, Druid Aquatic Form as a Night Elf before they changed the port arrangements. Nuff said.
gbaji wrote:
It'll be close, but Romney has the momentum.
I think it's valid for some people to enjoy figuring out a mystery on their own based on clues. Other people prefer a quest pointer on the map and a guided assist on what to do to maximize XP per hour.
Either one is fine imho. Especially for what looks to me to be a non traditional MMO design where mystery is at the heart of the design. I'm not defending the content of the game mind you as I have not played the beta. Just saying that I can see the fun sometimes in figuring things out on your own when presented with a series of puzzles or clues.
Either one is fine imho. Especially for what looks to me to be a non traditional MMO design where mystery is at the heart of the design. I'm not defending the content of the game mind you as I have not played the beta. Just saying that I can see the fun sometimes in figuring things out on your own when presented with a series of puzzles or clues.
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
~ Matsuo Basho
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
~ Matsuo Basho
Since the last beta weekend they added 3 new instances to the achievement list (Hell Eternal, The Facility, and The Slaughterhouse) and added achievements for difficulty modes for the instances (normal, elite, and nightmare). That definitely helps.
In addition they also unlocked more quests in Kingsmouth. This weekend is again just London and Kingsmouth.
In addition they also unlocked more quests in Kingsmouth. This weekend is again just London and Kingsmouth.
Quests that take 3 hours are generally investigation quests. Plus there's the whole tiering system. Instead of five quests that each have their own "head out, head back", you have one quest with five tiers that just follow on.
Gareth "Gazimoff" Harmer
Senior Contributing Editor | ZAM Network
Senior Contributing Editor | ZAM Network
Master Shojindo wrote:
I think it's valid for some people to enjoy figuring out a mystery on their own based on clues. Other people prefer a quest pointer on the map and a guided assist on what to do to maximize XP per hour.
Either one is fine, imho. Especially for what looks to me to be a non traditional MMO design where mystery is at the heart of the design. I'm not defending the content of the game mind you as I have not played the beta. Just saying that I can see the fun sometimes in figuring things out on your own when presented with a series of puzzles or clues.
Either one is fine, imho. Especially for what looks to me to be a non traditional MMO design where mystery is at the heart of the design. I'm not defending the content of the game mind you as I have not played the beta. Just saying that I can see the fun sometimes in figuring things out on your own when presented with a series of puzzles or clues.
I wasn't saying anything about how long it might take, I'm saying that I have no interest in a quest that is designed to take 3 hours. Any quest CAN take 3 hours, of course, but I'm not okay with those where 3 hours is the norm. Quest CHAINS that last 3 hours? Yeah, I want a ton of those. But a single quest? Hells no.
gbaji wrote:
It'll be close, but Romney has the momentum.
Mankirk's Wife.
Beohrn -- 85 druid
Brandmanen -- 85 Hunter
"Skill is a measure of how fast a player can turn experience into competence." -- Anedris, EJ forums
"The warrior acts, the fool reacts"
Please pardon the ego, it keeps getting stuck in doorways. I'm working on it.
Brandmanen -- 85 Hunter
"Skill is a measure of how fast a player can turn experience into competence." -- Anedris, EJ forums
"The warrior acts, the fool reacts"
Please pardon the ego, it keeps getting stuck in doorways. I'm working on it.
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