Why was this game so terrible? I remember being in the beta, I remember taking the cd and slamming it against the wall to blow it up out of complete disgust and anger at the game, but I have no idea why or what the game was even about.
I'm trying to make the database easier to manage, with the help of H/A I should be able to get things on the road soon.
It's no fun working on the back-end while I know that I still got a lot of work to do to update the damned thing. >_<
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Liquid GhostDO YOU HEAR THE VOICES, TOO?!Registered Userregular
So Regnum got a change in name at some point and was tossed up on Steam under their free-to-play offerings. It is now Champions of Regnum and, as far as I can tell, is still pretty terrible. I tried it out for a bit despite parts of my brain telling me not to. The interface was cleaned up somewhat from what I remember, but movement was still fairly touch-and-go and the animations and combat run along a gradient from wonky to boring. The NPC dialogue menus aren't too confusing, but they lack polish and the game world itself is still filled with some fairly irritating bugs that will cause you to fall through the world multiple times in completely random places. Relogging helps, but that's still something which should have been fixed a lot sooner, I feel.
The cash shop has the usual options in there alongside scrolls that allow you to skip a large part of the leveling process if that's what you want to do. I believe you can jump to level 35-45 or somewhere. The focus seems to be on PVP, with the whole choosing from one of three realms and picking from a small list of classes that can be specialized further into a series of roles. It was a fairly drab experience all told, but there are worse offerings out there as far as free-to-play games go. I remember thinking that a lot of the poorly translated shitfests coming from Perfect World were considerably worse when they first launched over here, so a lot of that has set the bar fairly low when it comes to my expectations from the genre.
I've tested enough of these damned games to write my own list of Horrible Free MMO Experiences twice over, but suffice it to say that, as far as Regnum goes, whatever first impressions you may have had a while back will probably persist today. Oh, and the prerequisite "miniature furry person" race is kind of fucking horrifying.
What miniature furry race? All I see are humans, elves and big yetis.
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Liquid GhostDO YOU HEAR THE VOICES, TOO?!Registered Userregular
edited February 2013
Glance downward. Further. Over there. Yes, there. That disgusting creature is called a Lamai and I'm told that they steal fresh poop from toilet bowls and use it to feed their young. Furry they are not. The Lamai are actually more like gremlins. Or chihuahuas. Or something. Fuck, I have no idea.
Glance downward. Further. Over there. Yes, there. That disgusting creature is called a Lamai and I'm told that they steal fresh poop from toilet bowls and use it to feed their young. Furry they are not. The Lamai are actually more like gremlins. Or chihuahuas. Or something. Fuck, I have no idea.
D'aah! Oh christ, nightmare fuel, who the hell approved that design. It looks like really bad asura fanart.
Lesson one of Salem: don't do anything until you can kill snakes. I just got KOd twice by a fucking snake and I can't even whack it with a stick I found. This is one of those games where you're first expected to read the manual.
Salem really needs a UI overhaul. It's just obnoxious navigating things, and really annoying trying to figure out what you need to do next due to its reliance on throwing a bunch of little numbers at you in the hopes of something interesting emerging from the mess. The combat is especially atrocious, and seems to just be an afterthought.
Regarding snakes: it's not even needing to be able to kill them. You need to be able to literally kill them in one hit, or they will poison you and then you will die, and it seems like days of work to reach that point. Really, your only option is to never piss them off in the first place, since running doesn't seem to be a viable option (unless maybe you can swim away from them).
Salem really needs a UI overhaul. It's just obnoxious navigating things, and really annoying trying to figure out what you need to do next due to its reliance on throwing a bunch of little numbers at you in the hopes of something interesting emerging from the mess. The combat is especially atrocious, and seems to just be an afterthought.
Regarding snakes: it's not even needing to be able to kill them. You need to be able to literally kill them in one hit, or they will poison you and then you will die, and it seems like days of work to reach that point. Really, your only option is to never piss them off in the first place, since running doesn't seem to be a viable option (unless maybe you can swim away from them).
So the best way to be great at Salem is to just not play it?
Seidkona on
Mostly just huntin' monsters.
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
You may not realize it, but we talk about you all the time. All day, every day, we dream up ways to make these games better for you, the loyal players and fans of Norrath.
EverQuest and EverQuest II have both been running as free-to-play games for a good chunk of time now. We’ve learned a lot while that’s been happening, and we can make things better for you.
So, we’re going to take out a bunch of the free-to-play restrictions that you’re used to as a Free or Silver player. Why? Because we want you to play more of the game without restriction. We think that letting you play more of the game lets you learn to love Norrath and gives you more chances to connect with the community and make friends.
As of mid-next week, we’re going to be removing the following free-to-play restrictions in EverQuest and EverQuest II. Free and Silver players will now have access to all of the following options:
We are opening up ALL CLASSES.*
We are opening up ALL RACES. **
All bag slots are unlocked.
All players can now use the shared bank slots.
The quest journal restrictions are lifted entirely. Quest away!
Additionally, EverQuest is allowing all players to send delivery parcels! (This change is for a game-specific change in EQ, so it doesn’t happen in EQII.)
We hope that the Free and Silver players among us (and there are a great many of them!) will be very happy about this news. These are good things indeed!
Have fun!
David Georgeson
Director of Development, EverQuest Franchise
Sony Online Entertainment
The Beastlord and Freebloods from EQ2 are exempted from the Class/Race thing. Coupled with the recent lifting of the currency cap, this makes both game much more attractive to mess around in.
The list is online again in this thread! The whole thing is in here, spread out over 19 posts with enough room left in every post to allow for games to be added and descriptions to be expanded upon.
I'm still a long way away from having a complete list or an accurate list and for that I would like to ask your help:
You can help in three easy ways:
1. Inform me about your latest discoveries or favourites you're missing. If you have the time, please check the list first to see if it's not on there, but otherwise just post a link here and I'll check it out myself.
2. Browse the list, check the info on your favourites and let me know if I need to change anything.
3. I added more information to the information and glossary posts. If you run into other words, abbreviations or weird stuff (either in this thread or in other places) please let me know and I'll see about writing about it here. Even if you already know what something means, if you think others would be confused by it, then I'd like to have an explanation in this thread!
Any reason you don't have DOTA2 in the DOTA/MOBA section? I'd also recommend for inclusion: War Thunder and Mechwarrior Online both probably in the 'shooter' category.
The reason why is because I am behind the times something fierce. I've added some games in genres that I generally enjoy, but DOTA and shooters aren't amongst them, so it's likely that I miss new releases among them. Anyway, thanks to the wonders of Access and the help I got in H/A I can now easily add new titles, here's what I've added today:
Dota2
Client
Status: F2P
Info: Direct competitor to League of Legends, produced by Valve with the guy who made the original Dota mod.
Avoid? It's cool, man
Ironfell
In-browser
Status: F2P
Info: A slow RTS where your units move around a hexagonal map and you collect resources and expand your army and base. The game offers no mission objectives or anything and encourages you to do whatever. The game is very clunky on Android, but runs fine in-browser. Still early in development and full of flaws, but it looks cute and it's original.
Avoid? It's cool, man
War Thunder
Client
Status: Closed beta
Info: War simulator wherein you can take part in both aerial, land and sea battle during WWII and the Korean War. Offers both PvP and PvE actions and controls can be simplified/made more complex for different kinds of players.
Avoid? I dunno
Mechwarrior Online
Client
Status: Closed beta
Info: Mech fighting game with a lobby for 8v8 multiplayer matches. Your character is persistent.
Avoid? I dunno
SMITE
Client
Status: F2P
Info: Another one of these dota games, this time all characters are gods.
Avoid? I dunno
Smite is pretty awesome, actually. It mixes up the usual MOBA formula enough to feel fresh (every ability is a skillshot, the camera is locked to the direction your god is facing and you move at reduced speed when not going forward), they're kicking out gods at a pretty rapid pace and they have a very nice deal, similar to Tribes: Ascend (their other game) where you can buy the "full" game for $30 and get all current and future non-skin content unlocked.
The rapid pace and beta status make for some balance issues, but nothing game-breaking.
Mechwarrior Online is... frustrating. Mechanically the game is fun, but it's definitely a game where grinding (or paying money) makes you outright stronger. Combine that with their currently wonky matchmaking and you'll often end up in very steep uphill battles against enemies that just feel untouchable.
It's a game I'd try out if you're a big fan of the series, but give some more time to polish otherwise.
It's true, I hate the industry for embracing F2P as "the way forward". This was so much easier to handle when it was just weird-ass Ragnarok clones and indie projects.
Smite is pretty awesome, actually. It mixes up the usual MOBA formula enough to feel fresh (every ability is a skillshot, the camera is locked to the direction your god is facing and you move at reduced speed when not going forward), they're kicking out gods at a pretty rapid pace and they have a very nice deal, similar to Tribes: Ascend (their other game) where you can buy the "full" game for $30 and get all current and future non-skin content unlocked.
The rapid pace and beta status make for some balance issues, but nothing game-breaking.
Mechwarrior Online is... frustrating. Mechanically the game is fun, but it's definitely a game where grinding (or paying money) makes you outright stronger. Combine that with their currently wonky matchmaking and you'll often end up in very steep uphill battles against enemies that just feel untouchable.
It's a game I'd try out if you're a big fan of the series, but give some more time to polish otherwise.
Smite's twist to the main theme are hard to notice for a casual observer.
If someone comes up to you and asks whether he should try HoN, LoL, DOTA2 or Smite, how would you answer them?
Smite. Because it plays like an action game with a MOBA PVP format, rather than an RTS, which makes it a lot easier to pick up for a lot of people. It also doesn't have +100 champs you need to learn yet, nor an established meta people will cuss you out for fucking up, nor low levels filled with high elo alts that will fuck you up because they've been playing the game for hundreds of hours.
Honestly, if said casual observer were to actually look at gameplay videos I'd say they'd see few immediate similarities to MOBAs, rather than not being able to tell them apart. It's the map design and progression that keep it in the genre, the way it plays feels entirely different. Especially in non-lane game modes.
Smite. Because it plays like an action game with a MOBA PVP format, rather than an RTS, which makes it a lot easier to pick up for a lot of people. It also doesn't have +100 champs you need to learn yet, nor an established meta people will cuss you out for fucking up, nor low levels filled with high elo alts that will fuck you up because they've been playing the game for hundreds of hours.
Honestly, if said casual observer were to actually look at gameplay videos I'd say they'd see few immediate similarities to MOBAs, rather than not being able to tell them apart. It's the map design and progression that keep it in the genre, the way it plays feels entirely different. Especially in non-lane game modes.
Updated the entry slightly. I might have to play one of these games to get a feel for the situation. I've only ever played the original DOTA custom map for WC3 once or twice when that game was popular.
In that case I'd recommend Smite for the more immediate fun and LoL for the more traditional gameplay. Both DoTA2 and HoN are saddled with a truckload of legacy micromechanics that make them really hard to pick up.
I wouldn't have suggested, or put, hon or dota 2 on the list anyway. You could stretch for Smite and lol.
Reasoning is that at least those games have persistent meta-progression and things to grind for. It's like the difference between, say, tf2 and the latest Korean CS knock-off. There's still a sort of grind for cosmetics, but that's so random, and especially in dota 2 there is zero connection between time played and any sort of meta-progression. There's a huge difference between what a level 1 lol account and a level 30 lol (Smite has account unlocks that affect gameplay as well) account can do in-game, while there is no practical difference between a brand new dota 2 account and a level 700 dota 2 account.
Of course, fps games almost all have some retarded meta-progression system these days, so maybe it's my definition that's become antiquated.
As long as there is a persistent world or a character that you carry over between games then I have added it to the list. It has been argued that this is the case with HoN and LoL so I have added them and made it a separate little category. If the games only have hats (TF2 is not on the list) then I should remove them on account of being consistent.
--
In other news:
AIKA's English publishers are no longer hosting the game, I can't find a new English client so I have put the entry on "vaporized" in my documentation and removed it from this thread. The entry was:
Aika
Client
Status: F2P
Info: A fairly pretty looking Korean MMO with a very strong focus on PvP, their main selling point is battle fields that can support up to 1,000 fighters on each side. They also promise an interesting story and all the other stuff every MMO tries to promise. Anyway, it looks nice and big PvP battles are interesting.
Avoid? It's cool, man
Altis Gates seems to have vaporized without leaving a trail: their facebook page is full of messages "where are you?" and the latest status is from Feb 2011. Their entry was:
Altis Gates
Client
Status: F2P
Info: A fantasy 2D MMORPG without any interesting features. There's 2 bases classes that you can specialize further in to end up in one of the 16 subclasses and there's pets that fight for you.
Avoid? It's cool, man
Shutting down: Priston Tale 2
Client
Status: F2P
Info: Your average Korean grind MMO, it looks pretty, but it is very slow, repetitive and there is hardly any information available to the beginning player.
Avoid? I dunno
Coming up: Aurora World, The
Client
Status: Closed beta
Info: Site makes no mention of unique features, but does point out that you can have pets, which is not unique at all. Will have to play this at some point.
Avoid? I dunno
Mechwarrior Online is... frustrating. Mechanically the game is fun, but it's definitely a game where grinding (or paying money) makes you outright stronger. Combine that with their currently wonky matchmaking and you'll often end up in very steep uphill battles against enemies that just feel untouchable.
It's a game I'd try out if you're a big fan of the series, but give some more time to polish otherwise.
Couldn't really disagree with a lot of this more. Given my sig I can't claim a totally unbiased opinion, but
When matches last at most, max, ever, fifteen minutes, and the act of actually playing the game is how you get things, its not grinding. If you had to kill a thousand Atlas to get a D-DC unlock, and were forced to target only them, I'd agree. As it stands, just playing the game, working towards a particular upgrade, or just playing the game to pass time, are the exact same action, it isn't grinding. The provided cadet bonus equates to giving you the C-Bills to buy the most expensive chassis in the game in about two days if you play a few hours a day, or you can fully kit out a customized lighter mech (probably a Cataphract, at the heaviest, maybe some Awesome variant).
90% of the time, spending money gets you mechs faster than winning c-bills would. The only funbucks only items are premium time, cockpit items, camo patterns and colors, and hero variants. Everything is flavor items save for premium time and hero variants. The premium time is just 50% more c-bills and xp earned in a match.
The hero variants are the current discussion for "P2W". The hero models are specialized variants with loudouts that no c-bill mech of that chassis can equip. However, they are, at best, a sidegrade, rather than outright better. The Flame (or Fang, can't remember which), can equip an AC/20, while the normal Dragons can't. The Yen-Low Wang can do the same, the only Centurion that can. However, this 'pay only' bonus doesn't come with any weight increase to the mech, no increased armor, heat dissipation, or anything else. It allows you to play the mech differently, but is not a flat out advantage. They do come with 30% more C-Bill earnings (which stack with premium time). Paying money doesn't make you stronger, it gets you to the higher end of the equipment level faster (which doesn't take nearly as long to get to as other F2P games as a free player), where it relies on your skill to bring that firepower to bear. All the money spent in the world won't help you if you do nothing but alpha strike.
As far as the MM goes, with the introduction of ELO, and the way ELO works with groups, it will take a large chunk of matches to dial you in to where you need to be (probably fifty or so per ELO rating). Particularly if you jump around weight classes, this being because you actually have 4 ratings, one per class (Light, Medium, Heavy, and Assault), or if you alternate between grouping and solo queues a lot. I can't defend it and say its perfect, but nine times out of ten, its serviceable, and getting better as more people start to fall where they should.
Interestingly enough, none of your complaints are ones I see almost everyone else having with the game. The issues with streak missles (looking to be fixed temporarily in a patch on the 2nd of next month, permanent fix to come later), Raven hitboxes (addressed in patch today), knockdowns being taken out (potentially reintroduced in May), Splatcats (No real definitive fix announced), and overpowered ECM (acknowledged, fix being devised).
I'd change the endorsement slightly. Whether you are a fan of the series or not, if you like big stompy robots, or prefer slower paced action with a focus on your tactics more than reflexes, give MWO a try. It has more than enough polish to play it as your primary game and not feel like you're playing an unfinished product. It could also be better (and at least two large patches a month are quickly making it better).
When matches last at most, max, ever, fifteen minutes, and the act of actually playing the game is how you get things, its not grinding.
Grinding is subjective, news at 11. My problem with MWO is that it's a PVP game where the money you earn in-game isn't just spent on sidegrades but outright upgrades. So you end up playing 10-15 games on trial mechs (and not even against other trial mechs, oh no, you'll be the minority as more experienced and well equipped players eat you for breakfast), then buying your own mech, then not much changing as you suffer more to have enough C-Bills to be able to afford upgrades like endo steel and double heat sinks that will let you put more stuff on your mech and even the playing field, before you can even start working on experimenting with weapons.
I feel I'm finally getting the hang of the game, with a mech equipped enough to handle it all. And it took +100 matches with over 9 hours played. Compared to something like Smite, where you're matched up with newbies like yourself and can have fun right off the get-go as you're not going against enemies with twice their gods' basic health and much more game experience due to fucked matchmaking? Yeah. Wouldn't recommend it to new players. Really wouldn't.
[edit] Relatedly, MMO Grinder did a preview/review of MWO a bit back, which is probably a good bite-sized introduction to the game for potential players. The one obvious change since he reviewed it is that you no longer have to pay for repairs after a match.
I've played both, but the entire situation is needlessly confusing. I can only give general impressions.
For starters, one of them is just a sequel for the other. Almost certain that Dofus came first. There's mild confusion because there's also a side-game, Dofus Arena, which is just straight squad-based pvp battles.
From what I remember of Dofus it wasn't full f2p. Free players got access to the first couple of areas, but they had to become subscribers to progress and remove their level cap. Wakfu was in beta testing, and may still be, so it wasn't as restrictive.
Wakfu obviously looks better, and runs better. The game is beautiful to look at. The problem I had with both games is that, especially at first, there is no clear way to tell what one is supposed to do. After the player finishes the tutorial and gets dumped into the game world they have to fend for themselves. There wasn't a clear or obvious quest line, just some npcs that could be found that offered vague rewards, and some loot that could be collected and crafted with the goal of maybe tackling the nearest dungeon. That was a long time ago, though, so maybe Wakfu has worked on that.
Anyway, if you only want to play one then just play Wakfu. It's pretty much the same thing but better to look at.
Last I tried Wakfu a couple of months back it hasn't changed, you're still left alone in the (heartbreakingly charming) world, wondering what the game expects you to do to actually entertain yourself. Poke around too much and you'll quickly hit the free player boundaries.
Posts
Why was this game so terrible? I remember being in the beta, I remember taking the cd and slamming it against the wall to blow it up out of complete disgust and anger at the game, but I have no idea why or what the game was even about.
I KISS YOU!
It's no fun working on the back-end while I know that I still got a lot of work to do to update the damned thing. >_<
The cash shop has the usual options in there alongside scrolls that allow you to skip a large part of the leveling process if that's what you want to do. I believe you can jump to level 35-45 or somewhere. The focus seems to be on PVP, with the whole choosing from one of three realms and picking from a small list of classes that can be specialized further into a series of roles. It was a fairly drab experience all told, but there are worse offerings out there as far as free-to-play games go. I remember thinking that a lot of the poorly translated shitfests coming from Perfect World were considerably worse when they first launched over here, so a lot of that has set the bar fairly low when it comes to my expectations from the genre.
I've tested enough of these damned games to write my own list of Horrible Free MMO Experiences twice over, but suffice it to say that, as far as Regnum goes, whatever first impressions you may have had a while back will probably persist today. Oh, and the prerequisite "miniature furry person" race is kind of fucking horrifying.
I'm going to try this, as soon as I figure out an appropriately silly-sounding Pilgrim name.
[edit]Apparently Wigglesworth is a Puritan name? Totally on that shit.
Also selected the Roanoke colony, because you know.
Regarding snakes: it's not even needing to be able to kill them. You need to be able to literally kill them in one hit, or they will poison you and then you will die, and it seems like days of work to reach that point. Really, your only option is to never piss them off in the first place, since running doesn't seem to be a viable option (unless maybe you can swim away from them).
So the best way to be great at Salem is to just not play it?
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
China is the new Japan with 10 times the population all working on anime things.
The Beastlord and Freebloods from EQ2 are exempted from the Class/Race thing. Coupled with the recent lifting of the currency cap, this makes both game much more attractive to mess around in.
The things I run in to.
http://imgur.com/gallery/gZdFU
http://rosh.ignitedgames.com/center/guide/game_fletta.asp
I wish my Popori could wear that armor...
The list is online again in this thread! The whole thing is in here, spread out over 19 posts with enough room left in every post to allow for games to be added and descriptions to be expanded upon.
I'm still a long way away from having a complete list or an accurate list and for that I would like to ask your help:
You can help in three easy ways:
1. Inform me about your latest discoveries or favourites you're missing. If you have the time, please check the list first to see if it's not on there, but otherwise just post a link here and I'll check it out myself.
2. Browse the list, check the info on your favourites and let me know if I need to change anything.
3. I added more information to the information and glossary posts. If you run into other words, abbreviations or weird stuff (either in this thread or in other places) please let me know and I'll see about writing about it here. Even if you already know what something means, if you think others would be confused by it, then I'd like to have an explanation in this thread!
Dota2
Client
Status: F2P
Info: Direct competitor to League of Legends, produced by Valve with the guy who made the original Dota mod.
Avoid? It's cool, man
Ironfell
In-browser
Status: F2P
Info: A slow RTS where your units move around a hexagonal map and you collect resources and expand your army and base. The game offers no mission objectives or anything and encourages you to do whatever. The game is very clunky on Android, but runs fine in-browser. Still early in development and full of flaws, but it looks cute and it's original.
Avoid? It's cool, man
War Thunder
Client
Status: Closed beta
Info: War simulator wherein you can take part in both aerial, land and sea battle during WWII and the Korean War. Offers both PvP and PvE actions and controls can be simplified/made more complex for different kinds of players.
Avoid? I dunno
Mechwarrior Online
Client
Status: Closed beta
Info: Mech fighting game with a lobby for 8v8 multiplayer matches. Your character is persistent.
Avoid? I dunno
SMITE
Client
Status: F2P
Info: Another one of these dota games, this time all characters are gods.
Avoid? I dunno
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
The rapid pace and beta status make for some balance issues, but nothing game-breaking.
Mechwarrior Online is... frustrating. Mechanically the game is fun, but it's definitely a game where grinding (or paying money) makes you outright stronger. Combine that with their currently wonky matchmaking and you'll often end up in very steep uphill battles against enemies that just feel untouchable.
It's a game I'd try out if you're a big fan of the series, but give some more time to polish otherwise.
Smite's twist to the main theme are hard to notice for a casual observer.
If someone comes up to you and asks whether he should try HoN, LoL, DOTA2 or Smite, how would you answer them?
Honestly, if said casual observer were to actually look at gameplay videos I'd say they'd see few immediate similarities to MOBAs, rather than not being able to tell them apart. It's the map design and progression that keep it in the genre, the way it plays feels entirely different. Especially in non-lane game modes.
Updated the entry slightly. I might have to play one of these games to get a feel for the situation. I've only ever played the original DOTA custom map for WC3 once or twice when that game was popular.
Reasoning is that at least those games have persistent meta-progression and things to grind for. It's like the difference between, say, tf2 and the latest Korean CS knock-off. There's still a sort of grind for cosmetics, but that's so random, and especially in dota 2 there is zero connection between time played and any sort of meta-progression. There's a huge difference between what a level 1 lol account and a level 30 lol (Smite has account unlocks that affect gameplay as well) account can do in-game, while there is no practical difference between a brand new dota 2 account and a level 700 dota 2 account.
Of course, fps games almost all have some retarded meta-progression system these days, so maybe it's my definition that's become antiquated.
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
--
In other news:
AIKA's English publishers are no longer hosting the game, I can't find a new English client so I have put the entry on "vaporized" in my documentation and removed it from this thread. The entry was:
Client
Status: F2P
Info: A fairly pretty looking Korean MMO with a very strong focus on PvP, their main selling point is battle fields that can support up to 1,000 fighters on each side. They also promise an interesting story and all the other stuff every MMO tries to promise. Anyway, it looks nice and big PvP battles are interesting.
Avoid? It's cool, man
Altis Gates seems to have vaporized without leaving a trail: their facebook page is full of messages "where are you?" and the latest status is from Feb 2011. Their entry was:
Client
Status: F2P
Info: A fantasy 2D MMORPG without any interesting features. There's 2 bases classes that you can specialize further in to end up in one of the 16 subclasses and there's pets that fight for you.
Avoid? It's cool, man
OK removed it from the list, thanks.
Client
Status: F2P
Info: Your average Korean grind MMO, it looks pretty, but it is very slow, repetitive and there is hardly any information available to the beginning player.
Avoid? I dunno
Coming up: Aurora World, The
Client
Status: Closed beta
Info: Site makes no mention of unique features, but does point out that you can have pets, which is not unique at all. Will have to play this at some point.
Avoid? I dunno
Both from the same publisher.
Couldn't really disagree with a lot of this more. Given my sig I can't claim a totally unbiased opinion, but
When matches last at most, max, ever, fifteen minutes, and the act of actually playing the game is how you get things, its not grinding. If you had to kill a thousand Atlas to get a D-DC unlock, and were forced to target only them, I'd agree. As it stands, just playing the game, working towards a particular upgrade, or just playing the game to pass time, are the exact same action, it isn't grinding. The provided cadet bonus equates to giving you the C-Bills to buy the most expensive chassis in the game in about two days if you play a few hours a day, or you can fully kit out a customized lighter mech (probably a Cataphract, at the heaviest, maybe some Awesome variant).
90% of the time, spending money gets you mechs faster than winning c-bills would. The only funbucks only items are premium time, cockpit items, camo patterns and colors, and hero variants. Everything is flavor items save for premium time and hero variants. The premium time is just 50% more c-bills and xp earned in a match.
The hero variants are the current discussion for "P2W". The hero models are specialized variants with loudouts that no c-bill mech of that chassis can equip. However, they are, at best, a sidegrade, rather than outright better. The Flame (or Fang, can't remember which), can equip an AC/20, while the normal Dragons can't. The Yen-Low Wang can do the same, the only Centurion that can. However, this 'pay only' bonus doesn't come with any weight increase to the mech, no increased armor, heat dissipation, or anything else. It allows you to play the mech differently, but is not a flat out advantage. They do come with 30% more C-Bill earnings (which stack with premium time). Paying money doesn't make you stronger, it gets you to the higher end of the equipment level faster (which doesn't take nearly as long to get to as other F2P games as a free player), where it relies on your skill to bring that firepower to bear. All the money spent in the world won't help you if you do nothing but alpha strike.
As far as the MM goes, with the introduction of ELO, and the way ELO works with groups, it will take a large chunk of matches to dial you in to where you need to be (probably fifty or so per ELO rating). Particularly if you jump around weight classes, this being because you actually have 4 ratings, one per class (Light, Medium, Heavy, and Assault), or if you alternate between grouping and solo queues a lot. I can't defend it and say its perfect, but nine times out of ten, its serviceable, and getting better as more people start to fall where they should.
Interestingly enough, none of your complaints are ones I see almost everyone else having with the game. The issues with streak missles (looking to be fixed temporarily in a patch on the 2nd of next month, permanent fix to come later), Raven hitboxes (addressed in patch today), knockdowns being taken out (potentially reintroduced in May), Splatcats (No real definitive fix announced), and overpowered ECM (acknowledged, fix being devised).
I'd change the endorsement slightly. Whether you are a fan of the series or not, if you like big stompy robots, or prefer slower paced action with a focus on your tactics more than reflexes, give MWO a try. It has more than enough polish to play it as your primary game and not feel like you're playing an unfinished product. It could also be better (and at least two large patches a month are quickly making it better).
I feel I'm finally getting the hang of the game, with a mech equipped enough to handle it all. And it took +100 matches with over 9 hours played. Compared to something like Smite, where you're matched up with newbies like yourself and can have fun right off the get-go as you're not going against enemies with twice their gods' basic health and much more game experience due to fucked matchmaking? Yeah. Wouldn't recommend it to new players. Really wouldn't.
[edit] Relatedly, MMO Grinder did a preview/review of MWO a bit back, which is probably a good bite-sized introduction to the game for potential players. The one obvious change since he reviewed it is that you no longer have to pay for repairs after a match.
For starters, one of them is just a sequel for the other. Almost certain that Dofus came first. There's mild confusion because there's also a side-game, Dofus Arena, which is just straight squad-based pvp battles.
From what I remember of Dofus it wasn't full f2p. Free players got access to the first couple of areas, but they had to become subscribers to progress and remove their level cap. Wakfu was in beta testing, and may still be, so it wasn't as restrictive.
Wakfu obviously looks better, and runs better. The game is beautiful to look at. The problem I had with both games is that, especially at first, there is no clear way to tell what one is supposed to do. After the player finishes the tutorial and gets dumped into the game world they have to fend for themselves. There wasn't a clear or obvious quest line, just some npcs that could be found that offered vague rewards, and some loot that could be collected and crafted with the goal of maybe tackling the nearest dungeon. That was a long time ago, though, so maybe Wakfu has worked on that.
Anyway, if you only want to play one then just play Wakfu. It's pretty much the same thing but better to look at.
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
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