Aion (Open Beta, Launch Day Info too!)

[Falconeer]

One great thing about many Korean MMORPGs is that they get pretty frequent large content updates, and we are talking about gameplay enhancing mechanics, not just a few dungeons or a couple new classes. So over time these games get lots of interesting, cool, sometime innovative stuff. They may think in a few tight boxes in South Korea, but they kinda love to exploit them to death.

If you can bear to jump on board, it's good to be on a AAA Korean Battleship, trust me.

[Draegan]

Video of the New? Pirate Instance in Aion

[Musashi]

Support just got back to me and asked for confirmation that I want to get a refund for my pre-order.  So apparently I did it right.  You just need to put in a support ticket while you're logged in on your Steam account and ask for a refund.

[Trippy]

AoC and WAR launched in NA and Europe at the same time (well, within a few days of each other at least) which is how they got so many box sales in a short period of time. Is Aion going to be released in Europe at the same time as NA?

[01101010]

AoC and WAR launched in NA and Europe at the same time (well, within a few days of each other at least) which is how they got so many box sales in a short period of time. Is Aion going to be released in Europe at the same time as NA?

Sorta. Release days for NA and Euro differ, but same week - so i read.

[Draegan]

US is Sept 22nd and EU is 25th I believe.

[Trippy]

That's what AoC did (Europe launch was a few days after NA). I don't think Aion has had as much publicity as AoC and WAR had over here and presumably in Europe so I don't think it'll sell nearly as fast as those two did. 1 million copies sold may eventually be possible but Asian subscription-based MMORPGs haven't done all that well over here so it's hard to infer how well Aion might do based on what AoC and WAR did.

[Shatter]

That's what AoC did (Europe launch was a few days after NA). I don't think Aion has had as much publicity as AoC and WAR had over here and presumably in Europe so I don't think it'll sell nearly as fast as those two did. 1 million copies sold may eventually be possible but Asian subscription-based MMORPGs haven't done all that well over here so it's hard to infer how well Aion might do based on what AoC and WAR did.

True but what was the last Asian MMO of lineage II caliber thats launched over here and when was it?  I cant think of any since WOW and because WOW has opened up the MMO market as much as it has that changes things a bit.  True it doesnt have the hype of AOC or WHO but I dont think its far behind, as it gets closer to launch that will also likely increase. 

[Lantyssa]

Not being a buggy PoS will help, too.  I believe it's the most polished beta I've been in, and that includes the DDO revamp.

[Shatter]

Not being a buggy PoS will help, too.  I believe it's the most polished beta I've been in, and that includes the DDO revamp.

/agree.  Word of mouth will go a long way aith Aion and for the most part already has.  There arent going to be many games or guilds where members dont tryout Aion, mention it to guildies(if they havent already) and stir interest.  I can say that my WHO server Gorfang has already made a new guild from both factions of people who are going to play.  WHO will be hit hard by Aion because people came to it for the PvP, that failed so they want the next new PvP game. 

[Senses]

Seeing as my interest has peaked up a little in the last few days, am I going to be able to run this on the same computer I ran Warhammer and AoC on most recently? Does Aion challenge a good system or can I turn things down a bit and see some good performance?

[Hindenburg]

You will probably be able to run it with almost everything maxed and good performance.

[tmp]

Seeing as my interest has peaked up a little in the last few days, am I going to be able to run this on the same computer I ran Warhammer and AoC on most recently? Does Aion challenge a good system or can I turn things down a bit and see some good performance?

It seems to perform quite better than both these titles on the same level of hardware. From what i remember from the Chinese beta things can be downgraded in options if necessary, too.

[Shatter]

Seeing as my interest has peaked up a little in the last few days, am I going to be able to run this on the same computer I ran Warhammer and AoC on most recently? Does Aion challenge a good system or can I turn things down a bit and see some good performance?

If you could run WHO and AOC there wont be an issue with Aion.  I ran at full settings and my FPS often went above 200, in "heavier" populated areas the lowest I saw was maybe 40FPS around 50+ people.  Runs very well

[UnSub]

Not being a buggy PoS will help, too.  I believe it's the most polished beta I've been in, and that includes the DDO revamp.

/agree.  Word of mouth will go a long way aith Aion and for the most part already has.  There arent going to be many games or guilds where members dont tryout Aion, mention it to guildies(if they havent already) and stir interest.  I can say that my WHO server Gorfang has already made a new guild from both factions of people who are going to play.  WHO will be hit hard by Aion because people came to it for the PvP, that failed so they want the next new PvP game. 

To be fair, it seems to me that almost regardless of launch quality, if you promise "meaningful PvP" there are a good number of organised guilds who will be there on day 1 so they can start building their power base immediately.

[Bzalthek]

Hopefully the buffer between noobiedom and the Abyss PvPvE will keep 'grief guilds' from deterring new players.  But then, where there is a will there is a way...

[DLRiley]

From my understanding there is an option to teleport to the opposing side noob zones for some classic level 40 vs level 3 action. I wonder how long pve access through controlling pvp keeps will last. 

[Bzalthek]

From my understanding there is an option to teleport to the opposing side noob zones for some classic level 40 vs level 3 action. I wonder how long pve access through controlling pvp keeps will last. 

I thought pvp was only possible in Abyss.  Unless they're only trying to get that niche of a niche market.

[Xurtan]

http://www.aionsource.com/wiki/Rift

Rifts are portals that allow Elyos and Asmodians to travel between their two worlds for the sole purpose of PvP. This opens up the possibility of PvP outside of the Abyss, not only providing a unique scenario but also eliminating any possible interference from the Balaur.

These rifts have been reported to spawn anywhere at random. They are typically linked between zones that are of similar levels, though they've been known to occasionally create unbalanced links between high and low leveled areas.

Whenever a rift opens up, it will appear as a large indentation in the sky. Players will thus be able to tell what kind of portal has opened up without having to travel to the location. Portals will not appear in beginner zones, a game mechanic protecting new players from the harsh future of Aion.

[skrigg]

The Abyss will be the center of PvP action. In one of the updates that will launch with the NA release they implemented a "Curse System" for rift pvp. Goes like this ...

Penalties of PvP in Low Level Areas

If you go on a killing rampage in enemy territory (does not apply to the Abyss), you will receive penalties for doing so. This is called the Slayer System. The effects are as follows:

1. Depending on the amount of killings you will receive points. If your penalty points go over a certain limit, you will receive the penalty effects. If you kill lower leveled players than you, you will receive more points.

2. The penalty effects are categorized into two. One is a ?Curse? and you cannot use rifts. The second is a ?Judgment? and under this effect you cannot be resurrected in any Kiosk placed in the enemy territory, as well as use rifts.

3. The name of the Curse/Judgment depends on the race. If you are Elyos, you will receive Curse/Judgment of Asphel. Asmodians will get Curse/Judgment of Ariel.

4. Once you come under Curse or Judgment, your location will be revealed throughout the local map for the entire opposing faction members. Also, even if you are under a hiding skill, your title will be seen, making it even easier to be spotted.

5. You must go back to your own lands or the Abyss and wait for a certain amount of time for the Curse or Judgment to disappear.

6. If you or someone else kills a slayer, 12 nearby players of the dead body will receive buffs.

7. The killer of the slayer will be announced throughout the area chat under the format of ?[Race]?s Hero [Killer of the Slayer] has defeated [Slayer] while he was under [Judgment or Curse] of [Ariel or Asphel].

Will be interesting to see how it works out.

[Bzalthek]

Oh that's interesting indeed.  So the only thing left to find out is how fast those points accrue and how many needed to get a curse.  If they're going that far maybe it will actually be a deterrent for griefing instead of just a token effort.

[DLRiley]

Oh that's interesting indeed.  So the only thing left to find out is how fast those points accrue and how many needed to get a curse.  If they're going that far maybe it will actually be a deterrent for griefing instead of just a token effort.

Allowing griefing but attempting to build deterrents for griefing will always be a token effort. My guess is that they figured out that the people using the rift were mostly na/eu players and hence why they attempt to add a criminal system before they launch in the states. Nothing stopping you from traveling to low level zones once you rift either. Oh and there is the whole camping the low levels that travel to the abysse problem since the abyss is pretty much tiered.

[Tale]

6. If you or someone else kills a slayer, 12 nearby players of the dead body will receive buffs.

"Who's playing the slayer account tonight? Kill some noobs then let me kill you, I need buffs".

[tmp]

"Who's playing the slayer account tonight? Kill some noobs then let me kill you, I need buffs".

With the location of the slayer put on the map that's a race against half of the server...

[Trippy]

If you know how many kills is needed to trigger that it's easy to setup ahead of time so the people you want to buff are all standing next to the soon to be flagged slayer.

[amiable]

What I think I find so frustrating about this game is that we finally have a release with terrific graphics and a stable server that focuses on PvP endgame, something different from the market leader, and then they saddle it with game mechanics right out of 1998 (absurd grinds, forced grouping, etc...) .

[Falconeer]

The grind is nowhere near absurd here.

I see your points, though, I agree with them. I just think Aion is doing what its market like, especially in South Korea.
I am much more angry with Age of Conan, which finally introduced a different way of playing this stupid games, especially in PvP, and still managed to botch the easy part.

[Draegan]

Allowing griefing but attempting to build deterrents for griefing will always be a token effort. My guess is that they figured out that the people using the rift were mostly na/eu players and hence why they attempt to add a criminal system before they launch in the states. Nothing stopping you from traveling to low level zones once you rift either. Oh and there is the whole camping the low levels that travel to the abysse problem since the abyss is pretty much tiered.

The Abyss is for levels 25+ and it's understood you could always get ganked.  You don't HAVE to go into the Abyss for experience, it's just better.

Also the 1-20 areas are PVP free.  You can't rift to them.

6. If you or someone else kills a slayer, 12 nearby players of the dead body will receive buffs.

"Who's playing the slayer account tonight? Kill some noobs then let me kill you, I need buffs".

It may happen but I think that would be pretty hard to do.  I mean if you can maintain a separate account, get that guy to a level where he can kill a bunch of players without dieing and then stay alive until the whole guild is around him for a buff then I guess you deserve to get that buff.

I just don't think that buff is worth it.

[amiable]

The grind is nowhere near absurd here.

I see your points, though, I agree with them. I just think Aion is doing what its market like, especially in South Korea.
I am much more angry with Age of Conan, which finally introduced a different way of playing this stupid games, especially in PvP, and still managed to botch the easy part.

I think the grind I meant to refer to is the PvP Abyss point grind...  The system is frighteningly similar to the Grand Marshal system that first came out with WoW which required an unhealthy time investment in order to reach upper levels.  I like the DAOC much better.

[DLRiley]

The buff isn't worthy it, but there is technically nothing stopping you from traveling to the low levels zones once you rift, unless the low level zones are flagged for pve only. From my understanding, the low level zones don't have pvp due to lack of a rift teleporting guys directly on top of them, and there are no non rift routes between the one side to another. Technically the zones don't start getting open for the rift until you reach level 20+ but unless the zones below are literally flagged pve only there is nothing stopping you from traveling to a low level zone for some god vs kittens action.

[Shatter]

The grind is nowhere near absurd here.

I see your points, though, I agree with them. I just think Aion is doing what its market like, especially in South Korea.
I am much more angry with Age of Conan, which finally introduced a different way of playing this stupid games, especially in PvP, and still managed to botch the easy part.

I think the grind I meant to refer to is the PvP Abyss point grind...  The system is frighteningly similar to the Grand Marshal system that first came out with WoW which required an unhealthy time investment in order to reach upper levels.  I like the DAOC much better.

So basically it rewards those who play more and acquire more kills / day, which in turn means casual players cant compete?  I remember a guy in my guild in WOW who wanted GM and used his 2 weeks of holiday time to play non stop until he got it.  He achieved it, then 2 weeks later they gutted the system and made it pointless lol.  He quit a week later...gg

Maybe someone here can explain the abyss point system in more detail?

[Falconeer]

I remember a guy in my guild in WOW who wanted GM and used his 2 weeks of holiday time to play non stop until he got it.  He achieved it, then 2 weeks later they gutted the system

He deserved it.

[amiable]

So basically it rewards those who play more and acquire more kills / day, which in turn means casual players cant compete?  I remember a guy in my guild in WOW who wanted GM and used his 2 weeks of holiday time to play non stop until he got it.  He achieved it, then 2 weeks later they gutted the system and made it pointless lol.  He quit a week later...gg

Maybe someone here can explain the abyss point system in more detail?

From what I have read basically yes.  The only difference is that you lose Abyss points if you die.....  So in general folks are going to be VERY risk averse about joining combat unless they know they can win and you are going to have the hardcore players looking for easy (read: low level) kills.  I have no idea how it works in practice but on paper it looks like a total nightmare for the casual PvP'er.

[Segoris]

The grind is nowhere near absurd here.

I see your points, though, I agree with them. I just think Aion is doing what its market like, especially in South Korea.
I am much more angry with Age of Conan, which finally introduced a different way of playing this stupid games, especially in PvP, and still managed to botch the easy part.

I think the grind I meant to refer to is the PvP Abyss point grind...  The system is frighteningly similar to the Grand Marshal system that first came out with WoW which required an unhealthy time investment in order to reach upper levels.  I like the DAOC much better.

I think it's a very solid mix of WoW and DAoC's pvp systems, and is no more of a grind then DAoC's Realm Rank system was. Sure you lose AP on death and for buying items, but with the latter of those you at least gain something for spending the points. At least your points don't deteriorate over time like your rank in WOW's rank system did.

[Segoris]

Maybe someone here can explain the abyss point system in more detail?

I don't know if numbers of attackers are taken into consideration, basically the Abyss Points are similar to DAoC's Realm Points. The difference is you can lose some if you die and for spending them on items similar to DAoC's honor points for gear system. Also, you can gain titles/ranks for the points you have. Titles in this game are much better then titles in most other games as they give bonuses to things such as HP, MP, Speed, etc.

If you beat someone higher rank then you, you get more points. If you beat someone lower rank then you, you get less points, equal rank fights are the basis of the +/- comparison

If you lose to someone of lower rank though, you lose more points, if lose to someone of higher rank then you lose less points.

Points don't go away for not playing, only for dying and spending them.

Edit:
Oh, also, Abyss Points can be gained just by killing NPCs in the Abyss (The Balaur faction, which is the NPC Faction in Aion). So those casual players Amiable is saying won't have it easy, that isn't 100% true. Sure it is possible to be ganked and lose some points, but the points lossed for a death versus what is gained via quests/npc killing doesn't seem bad.
Also, here's the Aionsource Wiki for AP: http://www.aionsource.com/wiki/Abyss_Points