Aion (Open Beta, Launch Day Info too!)

[Nebu]

Ill admit Im level 48.  Go ahead, burn me at the stake

Are you having fun or just grinding to get to the fun?

[Morfiend]

I got to 15 and just hit the cancel button.

I got to 20 before I saw the writing on the wall.

[Threash]

Bonus exp up to level 35 seems really silly, that's going to make the higher levels feel like an even bigger pain in the ass.

[01101010]

I got to 15 and just hit the cancel button.

I got to 20 before I saw the writing on the wall.

31... Only because I am dyslexic and it took a little longer to decipher.

[Draegan]

I got to 15 and just hit the cancel button.

I got to 20 before I saw the writing on the wall.

31... Only because I am dyslexic and it took a little longer to decipher.

I think you got to 31 before me, but I made the mistake of making another character to level 26 or so.

[Shatter]

Ill admit Im level 48.  Go ahead, burn me at the stake

Are you having fun or just grinding to get to the fun?

I wouldnt play still if I didnt like the game or wasnt having fun.   WOW is far too easy a game and while I knew Aion would be more grindy Ill be honest that the last few levels have really slowed more then I expected.  Like other games in the past the people I play with are whats largely keeping me interested, if I was going the game alone I likely would of quit some time ago.  I suspect once I get 50 and run some end game instances a number of times I will be resubbing to something else lol

[Nebu]

WOW is far too easy a game...

You're going to have to clarify that one for me.  I've played WoW and Aion and didn't find Aion to be harder.  Then again, I never made it past 25. 

[Shatter]

WOW is far too easy a game...

You're going to have to clarify that one for me.  I've played WoW and Aion and didn't find Aion to be harder.  Then again, I never made it past 25. 

Ok well, what's challenging in WOW then? 

[Threash]

When people talk about "easy" vs "hard" in regard to MMOs they usually refer to risk vs reward, or how badly the game punishes you for failing basically.  As far as the actual gameplay goes i was a rogue in WoW, i play an assassin in Aion which should make for a fair comparison.  The main difference is there isn't a spammable ability for my assassin, i can't just mash my sinister strike button button five times then evicerate once.  I have a full three hotkey bars with abilities and they all get used regularly, i don't know if i would call it "harder" but it certainly requires more attention to what i'm doing and whats happening during the fight than wow did.  As far as having fun goes as long as the people i play with are around the game is fun, leveling is more of a "background" activity that takes place in between pvp.

[Nebu]

Ok well, what's challenging in WOW then? 

You're the one that claimed Aion was "harder", not me.  

I think WoW has a layer of complexity that is often overlooked on the surface due to the excellent job that Blizzard did in scripting and leading the player.  If you read elitest jerks you'll find a lot of deep theory crafting in WoW that is on par with anything Aion offers.  I personally didn't find much in Aion that DAoC hadn't already handled better... at least in terms of mechanics.

[Draegan]

Anything you see on EJ is on a level vastly superior to any other MMOG other than maybe EVE.

WOW and Aion are both easy games to play.  One just takes longer to do the same thing and that extra time is not exactly any more entertaining.

[Morfiend]

On that note. I think a lot of people overlook how much more complex WoW is now that it was at launch. Myself and a friend recently resubbed together. I have 2x level 80 characters and a level 70, I played BC hardcore raiding and WotLK casually raiding. He quit in the days of MC/BWL and has a single level 60 (72 now). Having him with me really showed how much has changed. He was completely lost. He didnt understand rotations really or any of the gear stats and all kinds of stuff people take for granted now.

I personally feel that if you dig down in to WoW, it is one of the more complex MMOs available, next to EVE. Although complex doesnt mean "hard or easy". I just think Blizzard does a gear job of leaving a level of simplicity over the top of that. Some people never dig down past it, so the game could seem simple to them.

[Nebu]

I personally feel that if you dig down in to WoW, it is one of the more complex MMOs available, next to EVE. Although complex doesnt mean "hard or easy". I just think Blizzard does a gear job of leaving a level of simplicity over the top of that. Some people never dig down past it, so the game could seem simple to them.

My god... did we actually agree on something?

[Malakili]

Anything you see on EJ is on a level vastly superior to any other MMOG other than maybe EVE.

WOW and Aion are both easy games to play.  One just takes longer to do the same thing and that extra time is not exactly any more entertaining.

I think you'd see the same amount of analysis in any other game that had the playerbase/focus on endgame raiding that WoW did.  I don't know that WoW's mechanics are any more complex than any other game, they are just more analyzed.

[Draegan]

Sure I agree with that.  However I havn't seen an MMOG get near that decent of a PVE end game let alone get anywhere near the mechanics of a game down like WOW does.  Most games have mechanics that don't even fucking work.  Or lie.

[Register]

Anything you see on EJ is on a level vastly superior to any other MMOG other than maybe EVE.

WOW and Aion are both easy games to play.  One just takes longer to do the same thing and that extra time is not exactly any more entertaining.

I think you'd see the same amount of analysis in any other game that had the playerbase/focus on endgame raiding that WoW did.  I don't know that WoW's mechanics are any more complex than any other game, they are just more analyzed.

Wow is the only MMO I have seen so far where the number crunching get to the point where the fans build relatively complex simulation tools.

[Venkman]

Nobody around here played at that level in EQ1?

[Count Nerfedalot]

Nobody around here played at that level in EQ1?

If you look two posts up I think you'll find what you missed:

However I havn't seen an MMOG get near that decent of a PVE end game let alone get anywhere near the mechanics of a game down like WOW does.  Most games have mechanics that don't even fucking work.  Or lie.

EQ1's mechanics didn't work AND they lied. 

[Chimpy]

I am halfway through 47, and still having fun. Steel Rake is fun simply because it is so well designed aesthically (even though the repeatable quests are annoying, you can do more than one handin per lockout timer on most of them). I would probably be 50 already if I had not kept myself from hitting 45 until I finished a spy quest that you lose access to after 45.

[Morfiend]

I would probably be 50 already if I had not kept myself from hitting 45 until I finished a spy quest that you lose access to after 45.

 

[Nebu]

I would probably be 50 already if I had not kept myself from hitting 45 until I finished a spy quest that you lose access to after 45.

I'm guessing many will miss the humor in that statement.

[Sheepherder]

I would probably be 50 already if I had not kept myself from hitting 45 until I finished a spy quest that you lose access to after 45.

I'm guessing many will miss the humor in that statement.

There's actually several ways it's funny.

[Chimpy]

The downside to the rift system and trying to keep people from being sheep for the slaughter I guess. The lower of the 2 rift enabled zones does not allow anyone above 45 to enter the highest level rift (which itself is buried at the back end of a 38-40 elite area that is a PITA to get in and out of). I am sure they wanted to make sure there would not be level 50s farming level 20s with impunity, but having quests that require going to the other side very close to the max level to go through those rifts is kinda  The quest was really one I decided I needed because I liked the title it gave and because I am mildly OCD about some things.

Like I have said before, the game has design flaws you could drive a truck through. None of them are glaring enough that they spoil my fun and make me want to give up playing.

[Venkman]

If you look two posts up I think you'll find what you missed:

However I havn't seen an MMOG get near that decent of a PVE end game let alone get anywhere near the mechanics of a game down like WOW does.  Most games have mechanics that don't even fucking work.  Or lie.

EQ1's mechanics didn't work AND they lied. 

I was responding to the assertion that nobody de-engineered the stats as much. But yea, the mechanics didn't work as advertised and they lied about it. WoW does have a leg up there. They'll change it but they're smart enough to know when somethings broken and humble enough to fix it.

[Draegan]

I was really disappointed with the rift system.  It should of been more random.  Like rifts popping up anywhere in the area.  The whole thing being stuck in the elite area was stupid.

[Machazareel]

Anything you see on EJ is on a level vastly superior to any other MMOG other than maybe EVE.

WOW and Aion are both easy games to play.  One just takes longer to do the same thing and that extra time is not exactly any more entertaining.

I think you'd see the same amount of analysis in any other game that had the playerbase/focus on endgame raiding that WoW did.  I don't know that WoW's mechanics are any more complex than any other game, they are just more analyzed.

Wow is the only MMO I have seen so far where the number crunching get to the point where the fans build relatively complex simulation tools.

FFXI had plenty of numbercrunching as well, something I am guilty of taking part in. I think most MMOs with a dedicated enough userbase will have communities that will do their utmost to discover the mathematical calculaions involved in the game mechanics, so they can min/max efficiently.

[Sheepherder]

Hardcore populations numbercrunch.  The only real variable here is how the population gets hardcore.  I'm guessing "natural selection" with FFXI.

[Ashamanchill]

Is there any number crunching in Aion? I mean, I would get a new piece of plate with more def than my old one, and the tooltip wouldnt tell me a thing. Or a new sword with two more str, but I'd have no clue what it actually did. The game could not have been more cryptic in that regard.

[01101010]

FFXI had plenty of numbercrunching as well, something I am guilty of taking part in. I think most MMOs with a dedicated enough userbase will have communities that will do their utmost to discover the mathematical calculaions involved in the game mechanics, so they can min/max efficiently.

Proven 100 times over with Aht Urhgan expansion and the ocean of BLM tears and SAM lols. God damn Puks...

[Machazareel]

Is there any number crunching in Aion? I mean, I would get a new piece of plate with more def than my old one, and the tooltip wouldnt tell me a thing. Or a new sword with two more str, but I'd have no clue what it actually did. The game could not have been more cryptic in that regard.

There's not much that I've seen, and statwise, it seems most classes simply stack whatever stat enhances their role the best in PvE, and stack HP in PvP. I never delved too far into it, though. After dinging 43 I called it quits, just wasn't for me.

[Chimpy]

So the first double XP weekend goes into effect in about a half hour. Originally it was slated as being 1-35 only, but they changed it today to be all characters.

Next 3 weekends from 8pm Friday to 8am Monday will have this (central time).

[Threash]

They also doubled the rested exp bonus from 20% to 40%, getting a shit ton per kill now.

[Shatter]

Yeah this is nice xp at 48

[Chimpy]

Double XP also works for tradeskill "hidden" XP. Friend got skillups in less than half as many combines working on levelling up above 400.

Going to use that to my advantage maxing out air-gathering tomorrow morning I think (such a painful endeavour otherwise).

They also added refer-a-friend demo accounts. The kicker is you have to have had an account for 90 days and have 90days of paid time on the account (meaning that for today, you have had an account since launch and you have not lapsed in payment  or paid for 3 or 6 months) to send them out. I could not send one because my account was not active until 5 days after the retail release. Oh well, free month went to another friend instead of me :/

[01101010]

Still astounds me that people are actually complaining about the XP-booster weekends because people will level too fast.