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ArchivedUser
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I've arrived but it remains to be seen if I stay. I glanced over the AoC information docs and there was enough to pique my interest which is pretty good considering I have pretty much given up MMOs and gaming in general. Mostly because I started my online gaming in mid 90s with MUDs and eventually got bored of rat killing, recolored mobs and static worlds BUT also because the latest games that I backed with €€€ either got canned (Revival) or turned out to be same old (BDO).
Even GW2 fell flat on its face as the dynamic world wasn't as dynamic as I had hoped and the story missions were atrociously badly written and executed - though I think the last nail was stupidly easy PvE mobs and the "stack here and spam single skill until the big bag of HPs dies" design of enemies. The raid mobs are even worse since instead of making them intelligent the battles are all about figuring what makes them tick and hashing same plan over and over and over with clockwork precision. If I can beat enemy with exactly same strategy and positioning every time it's boring as hell.
There are a few sure ways to lose me immediatelly and here are a few of them:
<ul>
<li>I log into the game and within first minutes someone ganks me dead before I have even figured out how to move</li>
<li>I log into the game and the first thing NPCs command me to do is murder random wildlife</li>
<li>I log into the game and there's not even a slightest clue about what I can do in the game</li>
<li>I log into the game and the starter zone is empty because everyone else has "outleveled" it</li>
<li>I log into the game, look for the party, and get rejected because I don't have FOTM build or top level epic gear</li>
</ul>
Rant warning!
If against all odds one or more of these don't turn me off and I end up picking standard "kill ten rats" quest, while mumbling something about being an adventurer and not an exterminator, the next thing on the turn off list is either having to spend hours to figure out where to go OR to follow an arrow which conveniently leads me to the nearest rat. Sure, I don't want spend hours to figure out where the rat is but I also don't like too much hand holding. Giving me general area where to look for the rat is enough. Especially if instead of rat I actually find something interesting to do.
Bonus massive turn off if I end up wandering into field of rats where hundreds of fearless rats loiter around while a throng of newbies like me bash, slice, cook or otherwise mutilate their comrades a few meters away - yeah, and you can replace the rat with pretty much any creature.
I think one of the biggest concerns I have with AoC relates to leveling. I hate leveling with passion since it's pretty much always rush to the max level so the "real game" can start. This happens without exception when levels are involved - and people can can the "it's the journey that matters" crap. The truth is that it is boring as hell once you have gone through it a few times but it is almost always coupled with other equally bad features such as level appropriate zones, leveled enemies, leveled gear, and leveled materials.
Level appropriate zones are the bane of MMOs and nothing but a waste of world space since a few months from release all the starting zones are dead and no one has any use for starter materials or starter crafted gear. Besides nothing kills suspension of disbelief faster than facing a level 20 rat which can not only take down level 1 adventurer but also also that level 1 starter "boss encounter" dragon you bravely slew as a culmination of some **** fed-ex starter quests. Oh sure, there was probably some point hidden in all that wall of text that I just skipped for the quest reward (xp and lewt yum!). Oh and having to replace your gear every few levels just because you have outleveled it is cringe worthy.
Raids and group play are often another pita. Usually raids involve repeatedly using same plan and positioning to kill the enemy because MMO gods forbid if the mobs actually show some AI. Can you imagine all the tears people shed if the enemy actually moves around the map and uses tactical positioning - and not because we just took half of its hp so it will always move at that point into coordinates X and unleash the killimation ray at anyone not using this convenient spare time to hide behind equally conveniently placed bubblegum wall! They also seem to involve a lot of getting kicked out of the party when someone realizes your character doesn't wear epic purple frogskin slippers of doomination that give +1% higher bonus to foomancy than your current ruby slippers of grand boobahdy.
I'm also a character customizarion nut so having tons of clothing (and clothless) options is a major thing for me!
Anyhow. All being said. The game is on the radar - for now... uh, and hello to everyone!
Even GW2 fell flat on its face as the dynamic world wasn't as dynamic as I had hoped and the story missions were atrociously badly written and executed - though I think the last nail was stupidly easy PvE mobs and the "stack here and spam single skill until the big bag of HPs dies" design of enemies. The raid mobs are even worse since instead of making them intelligent the battles are all about figuring what makes them tick and hashing same plan over and over and over with clockwork precision. If I can beat enemy with exactly same strategy and positioning every time it's boring as hell.
There are a few sure ways to lose me immediatelly and here are a few of them:
<ul>
<li>I log into the game and within first minutes someone ganks me dead before I have even figured out how to move</li>
<li>I log into the game and the first thing NPCs command me to do is murder random wildlife</li>
<li>I log into the game and there's not even a slightest clue about what I can do in the game</li>
<li>I log into the game and the starter zone is empty because everyone else has "outleveled" it</li>
<li>I log into the game, look for the party, and get rejected because I don't have FOTM build or top level epic gear</li>
</ul>
Rant warning!
If against all odds one or more of these don't turn me off and I end up picking standard "kill ten rats" quest, while mumbling something about being an adventurer and not an exterminator, the next thing on the turn off list is either having to spend hours to figure out where to go OR to follow an arrow which conveniently leads me to the nearest rat. Sure, I don't want spend hours to figure out where the rat is but I also don't like too much hand holding. Giving me general area where to look for the rat is enough. Especially if instead of rat I actually find something interesting to do.
Bonus massive turn off if I end up wandering into field of rats where hundreds of fearless rats loiter around while a throng of newbies like me bash, slice, cook or otherwise mutilate their comrades a few meters away - yeah, and you can replace the rat with pretty much any creature.
I think one of the biggest concerns I have with AoC relates to leveling. I hate leveling with passion since it's pretty much always rush to the max level so the "real game" can start. This happens without exception when levels are involved - and people can can the "it's the journey that matters" crap. The truth is that it is boring as hell once you have gone through it a few times but it is almost always coupled with other equally bad features such as level appropriate zones, leveled enemies, leveled gear, and leveled materials.
Level appropriate zones are the bane of MMOs and nothing but a waste of world space since a few months from release all the starting zones are dead and no one has any use for starter materials or starter crafted gear. Besides nothing kills suspension of disbelief faster than facing a level 20 rat which can not only take down level 1 adventurer but also also that level 1 starter "boss encounter" dragon you bravely slew as a culmination of some **** fed-ex starter quests. Oh sure, there was probably some point hidden in all that wall of text that I just skipped for the quest reward (xp and lewt yum!). Oh and having to replace your gear every few levels just because you have outleveled it is cringe worthy.
Raids and group play are often another pita. Usually raids involve repeatedly using same plan and positioning to kill the enemy because MMO gods forbid if the mobs actually show some AI. Can you imagine all the tears people shed if the enemy actually moves around the map and uses tactical positioning - and not because we just took half of its hp so it will always move at that point into coordinates X and unleash the killimation ray at anyone not using this convenient spare time to hide behind equally conveniently placed bubblegum wall! They also seem to involve a lot of getting kicked out of the party when someone realizes your character doesn't wear epic purple frogskin slippers of doomination that give +1% higher bonus to foomancy than your current ruby slippers of grand boobahdy.
I'm also a character customizarion nut so having tons of clothing (and clothless) options is a major thing for me!
Anyhow. All being said. The game is on the radar - for now... uh, and hello to everyone!
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Comments
Feel free to join the AoC Discord channel – https://discord.gg/p77EG – !
Also, just about everything known about AoC has been compiled into a google docs file, here’s the link – https://docs.google.com/document/d/14luppZ3Ub8jmcw_aK65QWxYY4xa8qAo9zRfpYWBxOXE/edit#
Again, welcome to the AoC community it’s a pleasure to meet you.
I hopped on discord pretty much the moment I got here and also just finished reading the docs. I actually skimmed them before writing the original post because I like to know a bit about the game before commenting - you know, so I don't make myself a complete ass (half-assed is still ok).
I've pretty much decided from what I've read that AoC is way too good to be true but I'll probably end up backing it anyway because I'm sucker for ambitious designs. Probably not as much €€€ as with previous games as a few failed kickstarters have taught me to not drop hundreds of euros into a game that potentially ends up crashing and burning but such is the risk with the unknown.
Hell I've backed projects even less likely to succeed like CoT so why not AoC.
You've already found the discord I see. I'm also new around here myself but people are very helpful and you learn what's going on quite fast.
Sorry to hear that you've not had success with some KS campaigns you've backed, but you'll be happy to know that this game is already fully funded. The KS campaign is just for some "extra features" that are more on the wish list than core design, and backing it has some perks.
I'm not sure you've heard about the referral system yet but if you plan on joining us and have some likeminded friends, you should definitely look into it for future discounts.
Enjoy your stay!
Pretty much everything you said about turning you off is the complete opppsite of what Steven has been telling us. Of course we shouldn't expect wonders but at least a playable MMORPG that wouldn't be chiseled from the same mold as almost every other MMO. The Intrepid Studios is aiming high and considering what they have managed to already develop within a year I would expect them to deliver even some parts of what has been promised. I would hate to see Steven turning his back at us and simply take our kickstarter money and vanish. He wouldn't do such thing, would he?
Anyway welcome and have a great time waiting!
Gimblewald's comment about it being already funded immediatelly made me think "if it's already funded why ask for more money" to which I'm sure they have a good answer such as "it allows us to add more features" or stuff like that. If that's the case why not run the kickstarter for additional features after you have the initial game running but I digress. The money probably goes towards developing the core game and the kickstarter adds may appear sometime in the future - or then get scrapped when they need to "refocus their priorities due unexpected expenses and delays".
Besides if the lead guy really has made his money with MLM it doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. No offense. Making living out of MLM means he has to be damn shrewd businessman but now it's my money he is after.
Still the game seems more and more promising promising from what I have gathered over the day - even if only on paper, so meh, it's only money, that's what jobs are for. Right? I'm sure there's some nice and cheap intro level package for showing support.
I hope they get the budget required to really make the game and not just some play money measuring only a few millions. I don't expect them to raise 100+ millions like SC but having a few dozen for development would be reasonable enough.