Allods Online -

[Signe]

Did they decorate it for Xmas?  I might look at it again if they did.  As little as I might pay attention to holidays, I love them in games.

[Azaroth]

2000 more keys available from Massively.

http://www.omgponies.info/massivelyCodes/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.getCode&codeInfoKey=31

Of course, it probably still has Starforce. (If anyone discovers the NA client doesn't have Internet Herpes, let me know. I wanted to explore it more.)

I think we decided that it didn't have StarForce specifically (I ran the official removal tool and got a message telling me it wasn't there), but may very well have something called FrontLine from the same company.

Honestly? I played to level 16 so it must be kind of pretty okay. Mainly, there's a lot of quests to keep you going... but they're all Kill Ten Squirrels (you get squirrels in this game instead of rats). But (in my opinion), you're not really missing anything massive.

[Signe]

I feel about the same as Azaroth.  It's okay.  Kind of bland, I thought, but not terrible. 

[NiX]

2000 more keys available from Massively.

http://www.omgponies.info/massivelyCodes/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.getCode&codeInfoKey=31

Of course, it probably still has Starforce. (If anyone discovers the NA client doesn't have Internet Herpes, let me know. I wanted to explore it more.)

Thanks for the link.

Apparently it runs FrontLine, but I can't find anywhere that it's like Starforce, which often fucked with other games you had.

[Kageh]

Haven't played much due to lack of time, sadly. But I haven't found StarForce and it hasn't fucked up any game I have installed for me - and I have lots of them installed currently. I also have Daemon Tools, which isn't impacted in any visible way either.

[raydeen]

The only bug I keep running into is when the game does a major update and something fubars the launcher. The workaround is to rename the launcher (add a 0 or anything to the end of the name) and run it again. It then doesn't show any buttons or controls until it completely patches (which is kind of a mini game in and of itself - 'In Soviet Russia, Game Plays You!').

[Draegan]

CB2 is extended until the 21st.

[Stormwaltz]

I think we decided that it didn't have StarForce specifically (I ran the official removal tool and got a message telling me it wasn't there), but may very well have something called FrontLine from the same company.

I am disinclined to give them the benefit of the doubt regards their new product.

[Azaroth]

I know, I agree. I've uninstalled and reformatted and won't be heading back to Allods any time soon.

[ghost]

I know I should be more vigilant about programs that I've paid for, too, but I am very, very suspicious of any "free to play" software. 

[Kageh]

I know, I agree. I've uninstalled and reformatted and won't be heading back to Allods any time soon.

Heh, isn't that overreacting, just a bit? 

[Cadaverine]

After one of them, Zodiac Online, to be precise, snuck a trojan in, I'm gonna go with 'no'.

Edit: Speeling

[Azaroth]

No. Don't sneak shit onto my computer.

Besides, what's overreacting? Uninstalling, reformatting or not going back?

I don't think the first or the last are anything but a personal choice. Reformatting is something I've done regularly for years, and I have everything set up for it to be a quick and painless process. It's the best antivirus you can have, and I've experienced enough e-stalkers to really want the best.

[Kageh]

No. Don't sneak shit onto my computer.

Besides, what's overreacting? Uninstalling, reformatting or not going back?

I don't think the first or the last are anything but a personal choice. Reformatting is something I've done regularly for years, and I have everything set up for it to be a quick and painless process. It's the best antivirus you can have, and I've experienced enough e-stalkers to really want the best.

Reformatting was what I meant. Unless it is a root-level trojan that is somehow either virtualizing your OS or injecting at kernel level, anything can be removed. And StarForce apparently can be removed easily with the removal tool.

I do agree their (StarForce) policy is totally fucked up, to say the least. But technically, this thing is apparently merely a set of drivers, albeit running with ring 0-privileges, but it is in no way different from many other drivers I'm installing regularly. And I can just delete it.

[NiX]

I imagine it's no different than GameGuard.

[Mrbloodworth]

What is bad about the programs you guys are speaking about, what side effects do they cause?

[Signe]

What is bad about the programs you guys are speaking about, what side effects do they cause?

Did an icicle fall and knock you out?  How you be alive on the internet reading F13 and not have heard about them? 

[Simond]

Well, bearing in mind that it doesn't actually have Starforce, the net effect seems to be people nerdraging over some different piece of software which nobody knows the side-effects for.

[UnSub]

What is bad about the programs you guys are speaking about, what side effects do they cause?

They are generally anti-cheating / anti-hack programs that are potentially rumoured to do bad things to your PC (and some may have). A lot of complaints have occurred because they are often hidden during an install, might impact on other programs and some have been notoriously difficult to remove. Their overall effectiveness is also in question as hackers develop workarounds for them.

[Nonentity]

So, uh, CBT3 started. Is this still just nice art on a terrible grindy game?

[Draegan]

I don't think it was terribly grindy.  Just combat was very slow.

[Malakili]

Keen has been blogging about this a lot lately.  I didn't think of posting it here until this thread popped up today, but he seems to play it fairly frequently and has given some more updates, especially recently, on open world PvP and some of the mid-higher level stuff.

[Mrbloodworth]

Gosh, thats sounds a like a good bit of fun.... I'm glad I have a life time to lotro, and this game will be free :)

Astral boat combat and PvP is  .

[Nonentity]

Yeah - not gonna lie, astral ship combat sounds pretty cool. We'll see if it is actually awesome or not.

[Mrbloodworth]

Played this over the weekend, (There was no NDA in signing up) i found it rather cool, the art is top notch and the world rather compelling. It did however seem to contain a GREAT deal of kill X quests. But i did enjoy the gibberling warrior I made.

It is missing a great deal of features that some of us may take for granted, no item linking, no dressing room, and only two options for loot distribution (Roll, or free for all) and for some one like me who is coming from LOTRO, its hard to go back to seeing your appearance change EVERY time you get new gear (AKA, no cosmetic system) and having no control over look, or color including the ability to hide parts.

The combat was rather solid (I got up to level 8) and I do feel what others are talking about in regards to length of time to kill A mob.

However, the astral premises I think is the most compelling part for me, and I can't see this game as being anything other than a success when it finally launches. It has a well fleshed out world and lore, incredible visuals, great spelljammer/steam punk/fantasy feel and the items in the cash shop are able to be gained in game, but look to definitely be purchased for sake of convenience by most. Oh boy do they seem very primed to sell you bag space and storage. They seemed reasonably priced as well, if I go by the idea that one crystal is worth one dollar, it makes some of the items offered about 1 - 10$.

There are many translation errors and very funny item names due to miss orders of the adjective/verb/noun in item titles. That, and I really hope there is more to questing than kill X, as i think.... I have only done a few quests that were not kill X. PvP apparently is a major component of this game at around level 20-30 (?), combined with the guild, and personal astral ships...... This could be highly interesting.

Did I mention the artwork is awesome? In some ways, I can't believe this is a F2P game, it certainly does not "Smell" like one.


EDIT: Special note to PvP players, There is NO mini-map!    

EDIT2:Chicken helms!

[Nonentity]

I died for the first time when I was playing over the weekend, there was some level death aggro magic elemental in one of the areas who I got a little too close to.

I could not help but laugh out loud when I was thrown into purgatory as a death penalty. You're standing in a great hall, and there is nothing but blackness around you, but there is a giant winged angel with a giant sword standing in front of the door leading back to the world, and there are a bunch of NPCs just hanging out with you. I was only in there for 15 seconds, being level 6, but I can only imagine that time increasing as you level up. It gives you incentive to buy the 'drops of myrrh' or whatever to reduce the time spent in purgatory.

[Kageh]

I also think this has a lot of potential. It is somehow like a WoW clone with a different but cool art style, a few fresh ideas and done right, and you play for free.

The biggest downside is the pacing which somehow seems too slow. And the facerolling combat. I just pushed whatever button seemed to light up, didn't seem to make any difference other than some opener skills. But I only played to 7-8 on 3 classes (paladin, psionicist and necro), so don't know if it gets more complex later on.

Did anyone make it to ship/space combat there? That is the biggest thing that sets it apart from WoW and probably one of the selling points for MMO veterans.

[Draegan]

I never made it passed level 6.  Combat took to long and it was spammy as fuck.

[Nonentity]

The game is SO close to being decent, it's that much more frustrating. The time to level seems notably high at lower levels, the lack of player damage at lower levels seems totally hit or miss (my bow hit for 89 on this creature, and 7 on this creature of the same kind?) - I want to like it, but it seems dead set on making me dislike it just enough to not want to play it.

[Draegan]

The game is SO close to being decent, it's that much more frustrating. The time to level seems notably high at lower levels, the lack of player damage at lower levels seems totally hit or miss (my bow hit for 89 on this creature, and 7 on this creature of the same kind?) - I want to like it, but it seems dead set on making me dislike it just enough to not want to play it.

My thoughts exactly.

[Mrbloodworth]

So my question is, just how Spelljammery is it?

Translated by bot from the Russian site.

TL;DR

* Six player crews
* Mode of transport between the Allods
* Large amount of storage
* Many stations from guns to steering to navigator to crows nest
* One player is the captain
* PvE and PvP by ship, including raids and fleet battles
* Trophy room in your ship, medical and repair bay.
* Some kind of goblin workers you can have repair things
* Ship can be destroyed completely.
* PvP mean other players can loot any chests, or trophies from your downed ship.
* Combat seems to be able to include naval and boarding combat (ground)
* Systems power management and overloading..

Awesome set of videos and descriptions from the Russian version.


Awesome datas...


My god, it sounds awesome. Randomly generated allods with exploration and loot and piracy.

Each ship has an energy reactor that converts energy captured by the ships sails from the Astral to all the components of the ship: its engine, protective shields, cannons and the powerful mana-torpedoes.


A crew member needs to take on the role of the ship’s captain. Any player can take this role, so it Is not confined to the ship’s owner. Players will need to decide this amongst them, and the person they choose will receive a special Navigator’s Visor to allow them to see the space around the ship, and to forsee threats that could emerge from the Astral close to them. Then there is the helmsman who decides the course that the ship will take. For combat, several players on the battle deck use cannons or torpedoes. When the ship gets damaged, a player in charge of repair should make good use of the goblin repairmen that populate the ship, setting them to work on damaged areas.


If they are boarded, the ship’s deck turns into a real PvP area. The ship is surrounded with a special protective sphere, all the ships components are turned off and players participate in a fierce battle for control of the treasure located in the ships hold. It doesn’t matter what role players have in this situation, every crew member is required to fight off the threat.

Basically what STO should have been.  

[Mrbloodworth]

Woops.

[Draegan]

Yeah, they have good ideas.  But their combat is irritating but I'm going to play this because, shit, it's free.

[Draegan]

http://allodsbase.com/en/talents#_20

Here's a talent calculator.  Kinda show you how much customization there is.  Apparently after level 10 you get these rubies that you can put into buffs and it's like so sort of Final Fantasy grid system.

[Tarami]

grind system.

Sorry, wasn't terribly original but I couldn't resist.