Sardu (Page 5)
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Features, PreviewsThu, May 17, 2012Sardu
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Features, PreviewsTue, Apr 17, 2012Sardu
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Features, PreviewsTue, Apr 17, 2012Sardu
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Features, InterviewsWed, Apr 11, 2012Sardu
@ Daffid011: While I agree with you to a certain extent, I tend to look at it a bit differently as an old EQ player who was still heavily into the game when LDoN came out. Although it's got a traditional MMO world wrapped around it, the PvE portion of GW is exceedingly similar to that expansion in a lot of ways :
In both you meet at predetermined 'camps' (outposts/towns in GW) to form groups and obtain quests that eventually lead you into an instanced zone. The same core mechanic is there, and at least on my server in EQ (Stromm) LDoN was hugely popular for a long time after it's release, at least until newer content made the rewards somewhat trivial.
True, the two are vastly different games as a whole, but I can't say GW isn't an MMO when an entire expansion in a game like EQ was the same concept though a much more basic version of what is seen in GW.
At any rate, I'm sorry to hear GW wasn't an enjoyable experience for you Boomjack. A lot of people I've talked to who had similar experiences with it have also made mention of not joining a guild, or at least not a very active one which I think (and this goes for any online game imo) makes a fairly large difference. I know you haven't said as much, but it sounds like you never did get much of a chance to explore the PvP side of the game which is unfortunate - but then again if you don't enjoy the game's mechanics against AI then chance are you might not enjoy the (vastly different) strategy involved in GvG or Heroes Ascent matches.
I'd say it's a tad harsh to say "Do not buy this game" (aka 'choose something else) based on a very limited exposure to it - but if it wasn't fun for you then there you have it. I'd rather you be honest and blunt about it rather than going the road of "I'll say something nice until we secure more advertising dollars from them, THEN I'll say what I really think" like most other gaming sites.
On that note ... I'm curious to see what you'll think of Fury, which has an even more limited scope than GW yet a much much steeper learning curve. ;)
I'll likely be picking up Fury as well - I only got in for the final challenge weekend so spent as much time messing with different archetype builds as I did in matches, but it was on the whole a fun experience. I haven't kept up with info on their forums, but hopefully the issues of guilds running Bloodbath as teams has been addressed although even if it has there seemed to be a bigger issue with 2-boxers either running BB with a pocket-healer or else using their second account as a slaughter-bot (aka they'd play one character, then kill the second as soon as they located it's spawn point avoiding all other combat to get top rankings). Either way, if you happen to become a puddle of dead at the hands of the mighty Sardu just remember, it's nothing personal! :D
As for the linked article - I whole-heartedly agree with the majority of what was said. I honestly don't think that you can lump gamers into just a few simple categories. My own motivations even within a single MMO will vary from day to day depending on my mood. In EQ2 as an example, some days I log in and just do writs to help my guild level, other days I spend simply running around new places, while still others are spent socializing and doing group quests etc.
I do agree that there will always be that percent of a percent of players in a given game world who fit perfectly into a specific stereotype, but on the whole throughout my years of playing MMOs it's been my experience that people simply aren't so robotic as to only respond to one type of stimuli.
@ Lumio: I think that's the biggest concern of most people who truly enjoy all things Bioware, aka that EA will have a far-reaching negative impact on their future titles. For now I'd put myself into the camp of 'wait and see'. There's every chance that EA is simply making some smart business moves, and have zero intent on messing with the things that have made Bioware games as successful as they are.
Look at Blizzard as an example. They're under the Vivendi banner, though have had complete control over their own projects yet have the major financial backing needed to give their titles the polish people tend to consider one of their main strengths.
Under that same Vivendi banner though is the Universal Music Group, which single-handedly ruined the music careers of thousands upon thousands of musicans / bands within a single year. A ton of jobs in the industry were lost otherwise as well. Thankfully that hasn't in any way shape or form carried over to Blizzard or its products or else there's a good chance WoW might not even exist, at least not in it's present form.
So if the EA / Bioware relationship allows development to carry on as it always has, in the end Bioware could very well benefit from a sizable boost in promotion not to mention the fairly major financial backing a AAA MMO requires these days.
Either that or the Bioware MMO will be hijacked and turned into Sims Online 2, but lets hope that doesn't happen /shudders
Forum comment about the forums [check]
Between the temp-closure of the WAR beta servers, and now this latest news there's been an unfortunate influx of negativity floating around ye olde webs about EA this week - so much so you'd almost think that the tinfoil hat gamers forgot they think SoE is the source of all evil in every possible parallel universe. Almost!
As for myself though, I think this has the potential to be a good thing for both EA and Bioware. For me, EA generally makes me think of two things : The Sims and a zillion and one sports games. That's it.
But with WAR, Hellgate and now the 'top secret' Bioware MMO under their branding I think we'll see a shiny new super-happy-fun-time EA that I for one hadn't necessarily expected to see. Mind you most people will argue until they run out of oxygen that Hellgate isn't an MMO by any stretch of the imagination, you have to admit that's still a mighty impressive bunch of online games that all have the potential to be successful.
I've experienced most of the 'negatives' you've listed for GW at various points as well. The thing with your monk henchies standing there attacking with their staff vs. rezzing used to kill me (literally!) but sometimes there's other factors involved to watch for.
If you're not getting a rez during battle, make sure the Ranger skill 'spirit of Frozen Soil' isn't listed on your maintained effects, as it prevents rez spells from being used. There's a few pockets in Prophecies (and a couple of dungeons in GW:EN) where the AI really love spamming that one, so if you see the spirit up and things are going badly for your group make sure to destroy it asap.
The other thing is that your monks are simply out of energy from spamming high cost skills early in battle. If you're running all henchies through an area or mission, bring Claude the Necro henchie along because he spams "Blood Ritual" which should help the Monk's energy management.
That's one of the main reasons I'd suggested picking up Nightfall though - the unlockable heroes can make a huge difference vs. the AI henchmen. Not only can you set up their skill bars to your liking (which includes selecting their secondary profession), but you can control what they cast and when they cast it. You can also set your Monks to avoid combat completely, so all they'll do is focus on keeping the group alive as long as they have the energy to do so.
The vanishing quest NPCs is a new one though, at least not something I've experienced across the various campaigns so not sure what to tell you there. :D
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With the new WoW info - I have mixed feelings on that one. After spending years in EQ, the majority of WoW already felt like a giant easy button and outside of instances, those overland elite quest mobs were one of the only reasons people ever seemed to group on any form of regular basis. The vast majority of my fond memories in EQ really do come from the time spent socializing while playing the game, with gaining xp and new loot being a bonus vs. the focus for me. With WoW, even though I was part of a fairly large and active guild, I was lucky to group with anyone in the guild 1 in 10 log-ins because on the whole there really wasn't ever any need to.
On the other hand - I picked it back up for a bit last spring, deciding to start a new character vs. jumping right back in with my lvl 60 fury warrior I'd left gathering dust since a month before BC was released. I really wanted to see the BC content, but alas leveling a new character through the exact same quest chains I'd done before really started to bog me down by level 30 so I never did get there. Hopefully the easier xp gain will help other people avoid the same fate.