Arche Age

[Sobelius]

welcome to 2004
I don't wanna deal with this shit in 2014.

I had that feeling over and over and over. I should say nope, but I'm playing it free for a few days just to score points on my masochist card.

[Sobelius]

So I load this up today and seeing the new player zone I just said no nope nope, no thanks.

welcome to 2004
I don't wanna deal with this shit in 2014.

Sissy. It's not that bad away from the first areas. Though there are some pockets with lots of people, it has rarely interfered wugh anything I needed to do for a quest.

The lag tonight is so bad on Lucius server that ye olde invisible mobs are interfering with quest fulfillment. Maybe it's what's called called PvE ganking when the invisible mobs only make themselves known when they start attacking?

There are some interesting ideas in the game. Networking and graphics engine optimization seems to need work.

[Sobelius]

Watching people try to pilot their air skiffs is amusing. And something I haven't seen in an MMO before. Having my own little rowboat is kinda fun -- especially since the modeling of ocean water wave motion (swells) is quite well done (until it fails to hit the shoreline as surf -- I'm surprised they didn't try to build surf so they could have a surfing mini-game).

Also props to their character designer for having facial doodads that can be scaled, rotated and moved. However, giving me a slider for "tear duct" shape is so over the top I LOL'd.

[Hawkbit]

I played until I had to wait in a line for a spawn.  I contemplated waiting, then watched someone go out of turn and the other people started bitching.  This is silly.

[Sobelius]

I played until I had to wait in a line for a spawn.  I contemplated waiting, then watched someone go out of turn and the other people started bitching.  This is silly.

Yeah. Co worker told me you can do a raid invite which invites people within 100m of you. Now I know why i get seemingly random raid invites...

[Evildrider]

You should pretty much just always accept the raid invites, do what you are doing then leave it if you want.  Unless you like waiting for mobs. 

[Xanthippe]

I think I'd rather go play a text mud again than wait in a line for a spawn again.

[Rendakor]

At level 36 I've never seen an actual line for a spawn. There have been clusters of people, but it's either form a raid or everyone fights for the first hit. Also, at this level I can just gank the other people if I'm so inclined.

My experience in the PVP-enabled zone hasn't been nearly as bad as Falc described. I haven't been to the actual FFA continent yet, but leveling through Ynstere I haven't seen a lot of PVP. A few reds attacking players during the Crimson Rift thing, and a couple purples who usually ganked one person than were swarmed by the rest of us.

[Lantyssa]

I think I'd rather go play a text mud again than wait in a line for a spawn again.

Gaming of late has been so uninteresting I have been!

[Falconeer]

Unpopular opinion around here I know, but this MMORPG has a lot of stuff you don't see anywhere else. For example, the seafaring experience alone is worth the admission ticket, and the underwater treasure hunting is an awesome bonus. Or the commerce system, which is an engine for the economy and at the same time for the open PvP due to the need to move around big packs and manage logistics and escorts on dangerous routes. And a million more things.

The bottom line is that there hasn't been a sandbox MMORPG in about ten years, and ArcheAge is a big deal. If you've ever cared about sandbox MMORPGs and you are skipping this based on the first ten levels experience, you are doing yourself a disservice. Also, a lot of what you are reading around about this game is misinformed and snarky for no good reason. 

[Pennilenko]

For the first time in a very long time, I am making good memories in an mmo. This game is pretty bad ass.

[Rendakor]

I'll second what Falc has said. There's a bit of bland PVE grind gating it, but behind that is a really deep sandbox. Crafting matters; not because you can make custom gear but because the way you move goods and acquire items is very interesting and worldy. Intercontinental ship travel is a core mechanic and it it's an absolute blast. The crafting is also deep; not in that you can really customize gear but in the shear volume of things you can make. You're not locked into any one profession, but limited by labor so you can really only specialize in one thing while dabbling in others to start.

As for labor itself, it's honestly not awful as a patron. It stops you from doing every profession and it's kind of a pain the literal first day you start the game, but after that you'll always have some built up and it's not that bad. It feels artificial, but not moreso than the game arbitrarily deciding that since you know how to make armor you can't sew cloth.

That said, the game can't be wholly experienced as f2p; I'd suggest anyone who likes sandboxes to sub for a month and give it a go. No box cost so pretend you're buying a $15 game from Steam; if you like it, you'll at least be able to assess whether the $15/month is worth it to you long term, and if you don't at least you gave it a fair shake instead of dismissing it as another generic KMMO grindfest.

[rk47]

What you say is kinda true, hence the game isn't really meant for PVP, but might be worthwhile for veterans to return if they want to take a break.

[Falconeer]

What you say is kinda true, hence the game isn't really meant for PVP

"Not really meant for PvP". 

Check the end of the video, that loot is fat and a huge deal.

[rk47]

Hope you're high enough level for that, scarface. 
I already hate dealing with real ppl IRL, having to make douche on random strangers is pr. tiring.

[Nebu]

"Not really meant for PvP". 

Check the end of the video, that loot is fat and a huge deal.

Nice to see that nothing has changed in MMO pvp mechanics over the last decade. 

[Falconeer]

This game is not supposed to be revolutionary when it comes to PvP, and still it manages to offer more room to do it than the majority of the MMORPGs from the last decade. What you see in the video is not common. That's a super important spot to drop trade resources for greater rewards (the packages that get stolen at the end) so it's only natural that is permanently camped. Still, the factionless nature seldom allows for such an obvious Blue vs. Red kind of engagement. Here one huge guild decided to run a gigantic trading expedition with a large escort, but were met with an even more gigantic buch of thieves and that kind of battle ensued. It has probably more to do with that specific server "meta" than with the way the game works.

What I think is interesting here is that there's a MMORPG where all sorts of PvP battles can and will happen. From massive zergfests like the one in the video, or the 80v80 sieges for territorial control of the 4 persistent castles and their land, to the more traditional 1v1 Ultima Online style gank in any part of the world, through a variety of small scale fights happening at sea, or in any normal-questing area that happens to be at war.

The reality is that lots of us have been missing DAoC and that kind of three way faction PvP only to find out that when two companies tried to reproduce it and improve it (Guild Wars 2 and Elder Scrolls Online) it didn't work because if you give people a zone to fight, they will inevitably zerg it. Why? Because it is more efficient, because it makes you survive more and gives you the best kill/death ratio. If you stick to "small objectives" like sawmills, farms, towers, with your tiny group, you will either find no opposition (and will get bored) or you will be rolled by the zerg when you finally meet the enemy. The chances for even numbers are just too random and too low. So, with some old friends, we dug deep into the memories and tried to find WHY in the old days of DAoC it was easier for small groups to go around and meet other small groups and have a lot of fun regardless of your numbers. And after a lot of head scratching, we realized it was because of the net and computer performances of the time: meaning, while it was cool and useful and important to be in the zerg at times, relic stuff, and all that OMG 500 PEOPLE things, performances were so poor that no matter what nobody wanted to do just that over and over. So sticking to a small group provided more actual fun, even more so considering there were plenty of other groups doing the same for the same reasons.

But now, when you try to go around in these games with a group of friends (3? 5? 8?), you roam these huge maps and go for an outpost worth taking by smaller group, and when you get there 7 times out of 10 it is empty and all you do is kill NPCs. And 2 times out of 10 you meet an enemy force that is either too weak (outnumbered by you) or too strong (outnumbering you) so you either wipe them out in a second or get wiped in a second. Sure, there is that 1 time out of 10 that you have a lot of fun, but it's not worth investing into and soon enough you find you and your friends drawn into the zerg (or uninstalling the game) because there's no point in doing anything else.

I am sure many will disagree but the bottom line is that DAoC PvP is another model that actually worked due to its novelty and the technical limitations which pushed players to look for fairer fights, something too many don't like to do unless they are forced to. And the advancement of technology and the removal of those technical limitations killed that model instead of improving it.

But I am really interested in other perspectives: how do you think Guild Wars 2 and TESO could have avoided turning every PvP DAoC-like frontier into a zergfest and motivate small groups into finding each other without being steamrolled by the zerg, or being forced into an 8v8 instance? I'd love to hear it, honestly.


In the end, ArcheAge does NOT fix the problem, nor tries to. But at least by providing a platform for many different kinds of PvP with 1) large area three ways - 2) factionless brawl, 3) open world capture the flag, 4) 5v5 or 1v1 ranked Arena - 5) 80vs80 Castle Sieging - 6) open world UO-style random ganking with semi-loot - 7) naval battles (with boarding), it happens to offer something for everyone in this department, and even though it could be vastly improved, the complete absence of loading screens or instances make for a much more dynamic PvP environment than what a bullet point list would ever be able to explain.

[Rendakor]

There are arenas? Where are they?

[Falconeer]

Teehee.. disabled by TRION, like Aurioria, as a strategic pre-launch decision to make sure people didn't hide in there to farm honor right off the bat. They will be re-enabled in a month or so. The NPCs to queue in are already there in your continent's major city.

[Rendakor]

Ahh, okay. Not my cup of tea but I know friends who will be interested. What's Aurioria?

[Falconeer]

Auroria is the third "continent", it's in the North. You can already see it in the map and you can actually teleport yourself there, but since it is unreleased because Trion decided to hold it back for a month you would get teleported back right away. Aurioria is about 5 new zones, 4 of which are permanently "At war", meaning every kill counts for earning or losing honor there. The fifth zone is permanently "at peace" and it's the only place where carebears can safely level up from 50 to 55 without being killed over and over. Right, cause with Aurioria comes a level cap increase. Another feature of Auroria are the 4 static castles with their own housing province and taxes. Guilds can claim those castles and demand taxes over the houses built on the land they control (cause with Auroria comes more housing space). Needless to say, other guilds can issue a siege to the castle owner and an 80vs60 (yeah) battle with siege weaponry and all takes place. Auroria is pretty much an expansion that was launched in South Korea several months after release. Here, we get it right away. And I am glad Trion decided to wait, even though it's only a trick to make it look like they have more content right after launch, cause Auroria widens the power gap between players, so it's not bad at all that before the top guilds that get formed before a game even launch can go there and estabilish control there's enough time for all gaming groups to try and get prepared for the new land rush and more importantly the Castle rush.

And since we are on "new content" topic, in South Korea there has been another huge "content patch" (1.7) last July, and we'll probably get that one in a not so distant future. On top of adding zany things like steampunk skateboards, and the Leviathan (which you HAVE to see) and a Ghost Ship, it adds more new zones, houses, dances, music instruments, and ship customization.


EDIT: restored some vanished text.

[Morfiend]

I'm really enjoying this, I thought I would hate it. Its like EVE and EQ2 had a baby.

[Rasix]

Frightening comparison. 


Thanks. 

[Falconeer]

A pretty small guild boarding and stealing another guild's trade ship with a huge amount of lootable trade packs. Video quality is terrible, but it shows some of the (PvP) stuff absolutely unique to ArcheAge.

[Rendakor]

So Falc, what's the best way to earn Gilda Stars? Trade runs? How many is a pack worth? Are they worth more if you take them further?

[Falconeer]

After level 30, there are 4/5 daily Quests you get in yuor two major cities. They can be done in about 10 minutes and net you 1 gilda star each. Then, once a day you can "mentor" someone in the Palace Cellar dungeon and get 3 gilda stars that way AS LONG AS they have the "Kill Boss with a Mentor". Same thing rolls over to the next dungeon (level 35). So, with the dailies and the dungeon run you can easily get 8 gildas a day. Then, Trade Runs only net you gilda stars if you go to the other continent (1) or Freedich Island (4!), but while the first option is dangerous, the second is suicide.

[Rendakor]

Hmm alright. Where's Freedich Island? That's the FFA zone right?

[Falconeer]

Yes, and since it gives the most Gilda Stars it's also the place where traders try to sneak in late at night. Anyway, the game gives you the first 55 Gilda Stars or so true the very easy Main Quest which ends around level 35, and that's enough to get you a nice ship and a house. After that, it's all "working hard" to get the larger houses or ships. Mind, this has been westernized already: the materials needed for the first boat for example were exactly ten times more than what you need now (10 packs instead of 1).

[Rendakor]

I'm 39 and have a clipper and a basic house; we were trying to figure a way to rush a larger ship as a guild. 10 of us carrying packs is still slow as fuck though.

[satael]

I'm 39 and have a clipper and a basic house; we were trying to figure a way to rush a larger ship as a guild. 10 of us carrying packs is still slow as fuck though.

Get a single person to make packs and take them to Freedrich as a guild. Then everyone drops the packs at the gold trader and the maker turns them in one at a time and gains guilda stars from each of them. 

[Falconeer]

That's the theory. And that's also how the pirate guilds make millions. By robbing those who try that. Hell, even me and my THREE friends of level 30 robbed some traders heading to Freedich that way.

[Rendakor]

Yea we didn't want to risk that.

[Pennilenko]

Yea we didn't want to risk that.

Nah, it's totally safe. Just let me know when you want to make the run and how many people you need to run, and I will arrange "protection" for you. I can guarantee that every trade pack will make it to a turn in.

[WayAbvPar]

If you have a partner on the ground, bumping AFK people with trade packs off of the airship seems like a potential gold mine. I did it yesterday solo but couldn't find the corpse and pack when I went back.

[Lantyssa]

I can guarantee that every trade pack will make it to a turn in.

Who'll be doing the turn in?