Zeraph

Anyone else really looking forward to this game? I'd heard about it and wasn't too excited for quite awhile but decided to read up on it today. Now I can't wait to try it. Wish they'd let more people into closed beta though (really a preview, its been out for a year in asia). I think this will be my new MMORPG for quite awhile once it comes out in September. I just really hope it doesn't turn into a grindfest like so many asian MMOs (I heard it doesn't though). One of the best things about this is the graphics efficiency...its one of the best looking MMOs out and yet people are reporting no lag with 200+ people on screen.

AionSource.com - Aion: the Tower of Eternity Fansite

YaWhateva

yeah i am excited for it i just hope it lives up to the hype!

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Martian

This might be a silly question, but for someone who doesn't play MMO's, how is this different from, say, WoW or Everquest?

At a glance, other than the story and the pretty graphics I don't see what differentiates Aion from the other offerings out there. Perhaps I'm just not versed enough to understand the sublte distinctions, though.

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Zeraph

You and everyone else. Seriously, no one *really* understands the difference. There are many standards and good conventions now that I could name off but no one really understands for sure. What makes one MMO special and one fail utterly is somewhat of an interesting mystery. I've played MMOs for a decade now and have enjoyed studying their success and failures. There are as many opinions as there are people, and if someone knew for certain then there would be one MMO that drove all the rest out completely.

As far as what has me personally interested in this, I've already mentioned the graphics/performance which is the best to date. Also there's the interesting concept of PvEvP (player vs environment vs player). And from what I've seen, it looks like they have real world physics for flight and movement (e.g. you go into a dive and you gain speed), you strafe and you gain parry, back up to gain block, run forward to gain damage.

Baraka_Guru

The future of MMO gaming is this: immersion gameplay.

To be honest, I don't think graphics are going to be as big an issue as they used to be. People still think the 2004 graphics of WoW have their charm. Some even think they look pretty. Other MMOs have come along with prettier graphics and similar gameplay, but they still lack the immersion that WoW offers. There is just so much to do in WoW and they keep cranking out content.

What's next? Well, whatever the next level of immersion will bring. Something will come along—whether it's by Blizzard or not—that will knock our escapist socks off. It will have a draw that will be even more narcotic than WoW.

I don't know what shape it will be, but it will be. And I'll likely be right there along side the other thousands, if not millions, who will be drawn into it.

About now I'm hoping it's a sci-fi universe. Who's with me?

Aion looks great. I actually checked it out not long before the OP was posted. It will be up to the gameplay as to whether it sinks or swims. It probably isn't the next big thing, but it might be fun.

The next big thing will not be a WoW clone. It will make WoW seem like Runescape or Ultima Online.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Zeraph

I totally agree BG about the immersion thing. It's something you can't quite put your finger on though why it works.

I disagree a bit about the graphics. It's true that they matter less, now that the tech has improved so much but there are plenty of other things graphically that matter as well. I think it will focus more on the artistic value. Performance as well. That's my favorite thing about WoW is that they were really the first to say performance is more important than graphics. But we're still a long way off from being optimized.

I sure hope scifi catches on too. I played Anarchy Online for a couple years even though it had a lot of flaws.

Baraka_Guru

I know what you mean about graphics. I like incredible advances in graphics just like the next guy. It's how we first gauge games: "So, man, how are the graphics? Does it have nice graphics?"

What I mean to say is the advances in graphics are becoming less of an issue if you weigh everything. Advances in graphics moved much, much faster than advances in gameplay between 2000 and 2004 compared to 2004 and 2009. This is what I mean. Graphics are nice, but the competition in gaming is become fierce. Gameplay will get repetitive unless you can raise that bar to something that will blow our minds. In a way, good graphics are now a given. It's gameplay that will make or break a game. No more of the same old, same old. For a while, all shooters were pretty much the same. New gameplay features changed that. Now we see the same thing with MMOs. No more of the same. We need new features.

These days, anyone can make a pretty game. But does it play well?

I think Aion is going in the right direction, bringing PvP MMOs to a larger scale, and by offering aerial combat. But being based on the CryEngine isn't bad either.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

samcol

I agree with the others about the 'immersion' factor. It's different for everyone, but the MMO I enjoyed the most was EQ, then probably WOW, EQ2, Age of Conan, then Warhammer.

Also, graphics have become a non issue as far as what gamers are looking for in mmo's IMO. I still can't play eq2 on the highest settings even though the game is 5 years old. However, with wow i can have it maxed out and the game is smooth. As long as an MMO can reach or surpase wow graphics I don't believe they are at all an issue anymore (graphics don't keep subscriptions). It's more about being able to sign up on a PC that is 3+ years old and being able to play smoothly.

I think the initial launch is the biggest part of an MMO's success or failure. Every MMO I've played either made it or failed on launch. You don't get those players back who quit early in the game because there's no content after level 30 or due to a common software or hardware crash. The exception is back when there wasn't any other choices like during the days of UO or EQ.

Overall the biggest gripe I have with MMO's of late is the MMO factor. These type of games have gone away from HAVING to group to gain levels, and having soloing as a last resort option, to making it easier to solo to get levels and many items. The result is less interaction with other players which is the main reason I've played MMO's from the beginning.

If Aion has any kind of buzz about it, then I will likely try it. However, I'm not gonna hold my breath and will likely cancel within the first couple months like every MMO I've tried since wow.

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Zeraph

I'm on the fence on the group factor. I agree MMOs need more people interaction/roleplaying but forcing an annoying encounter is worse than soloing. Like if you have to wait 2 hours for some group just to finish some quests that is really dumb. I absolutely hate to idle in any game because it is such a waste of time.

samcol

Yeah, I see what you're getting at, but I think it's a simple change of making the exp and items gained from grouping much greater than soloing throughout the levels (not just the level cap). That way the people who can't group much can still level and get items, but there's an advantage to joining up with other people.

Maybe I'm just different, but in wow, I always group up for instances instead of solo grinding (even though I gain MUCH less exp.)because it so much more fun for me. I've always hated solo grinding on mobs and/or quests.

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Zeraph

I would be fine with that so long as the exp difference isn't too extreme. If I'm only on for 30 mins I don't want to feel like I'm wasting my time soloing because people in a group are getting 3x the experience I am. Something like 1.5x would be great though. One thing I've never understood is why more games don't put in a clear group exp bonuses (it must complicate their math too much or something). Like literally +5%exp per group member added (unless the game has really big group sizes, but something relatively similar). Some % so that it ends up between +25-50% exp bonus with a full group.

samcol

Ya that +5% exp bonus per member thing sounds great. That would facilitate grouping while allowing people who want to or have to solo due to time constraints still level at a steady pace.

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It's time for the president to hand over his nobel peace prize.

Zeraph

Just found this guide Guide to Chinese Aion OBT | MobiusZone
for trying out the chinese version of the 2 week free trial. Only trouble so far is that it's in chinese...downloading it, will let you know how it goes.

iliketoast

I played on the Chinese Open Beta server some. There is an English language pack that makes things a little easier. Or if you pre-order a copy of aion by putting 5$ or so down towards purchase price, you can get a beta code that will let you into the NA server beta events.
North America is getting a tweaked version of Aion, so we will have a less grindy experience than that of the Eastern countries. Also we will get Aion version 1.5 as opposed to the version currently live on Chinese servers.
Hope you get a chance to try it. It has the asian MMO feel to it, but it has the polish I remember from Guild Wars when I first played it. If they can deliver server stability and game balance like Guild Wars, then this will be a new home for many MMO-refugees that have been let down by alot of recent releases.

Zeraph

Yeah, finished DLing it and found the ENU.pak for it (english translation). Works beautifully. Only played an hour or so though, been busy. Let me know if anyone wants to try it and I'll help you out.

Will write my impressions once I get a chance to really play.

Baraka_Guru

I've been watching some of the recent videos on the official website. They have a bunch of zone previews. They recently posted a video on classes and customization, so you get an idea of the play styles and the look of your characters. They also have a video on the world and lore. You see some really awesome footage there, and you get a feel for the depth they're building into this.

Okay, if this works as it looks like it might work, this just might be a WoWkiller.

It looks pretty at least. I guess it depends on how it drives.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Stare At The Sun

I'll be honest, I played the beta, and meh.

I simply can not get over the "feel" of Korean games. They always look great, like Sword of the New World looked amazing. But they are always seeming based around click to move, they lack the polish of other games, and just don't have the "it" factor. I honestly think something is just lost in translation when it comes to these games.

I'm sure a lot of people will like Aion, but for someone used to western style games, its kinda a letdown.

boom29

I do like the customization options that they have. The podcast mentioned being able to blend the looks and stats of items that you already possess. If I could only do something like that in WoW.

Zeraph

So has anyone started playing early release yet? Game is finally out officially tomorrow. I ended up not getting much of a chance to play the asian version for more than a few hours since RL called and became too busy. So now I'm waiting for replies/reviews on if I should steal err buy the game.

YaWhateva

I wish I would have gotten into the beta. I'm hesitant to buy it because i have bought other MMO's on launch day just to be bitten in the ass. Is there a trial thing I could try out?

__________________
“If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again.” - Bill O'Reilly

"This is my United States of Whateva!"

Zeraph

I'm pretty sure the free week or so of playtime from the asian version still works. But you have to navigate a bit through guess work to dl and make the account. But once you get the game there is an English unofficial patch you can add that translates almost everything in game to make it playable. Scroll up a bit in the thread to check out the link to the guide so you can feel how easy or annoying it might be for you.

edit: that guide looks like its down. But I googled Guide to Chinese Aion OBT | MobiusZone and found other guides that look like they'd work.

Zeraph

So I bit the bullet and got it early before reviews, so far I'm quite happy. Played all afternoon today. It's pretty good so far. Lot's of polish to it. Though I'm not surprised. The real test will be end game/abyss PvEvP which is what the game is all about and does differently than most.

There are just so many nice little options that I couldn't begin to name them all. Gliding is quite fun as it has that more real world physics feel to it and you can glide anywhere in the game with a ledge/hill.

edit: btw, my name is Dred on the server Lumiel

dkenpachi

long load and log on times. . . not for me. besides. kinda pointless if ur not WOW or 2nd life. MMORPG's come and go. nothing really stuck to the field as long as WOW

Esoteric

WoW is like the Nintendo Wii of MMO's. Easy to access and play, but boring as hell after a short while.

Aion reminds me so much of my early days playing DAoC. I'm having fun. 24 Asmodian Sorcerer on Azphel.

__________________
From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

Lokus

It's been pretty fun so far but I'm getting a bit burnt out with the grind. I'm just letting the rested xp accumulate right now, maybe I need to find a better grinding spot. 34 elyos ranger on Azphel also btw.

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Zeraph

So I'm having mixed feelings now. I got my sorc up to 22 but just got bored as heck. They feel way too slow and repetitive to me (even tho they kill the fastest), and no real damage range or crits for magic; so they feel monotonous to me. Cast 1, wait 3 seconds, cast 2, wait 3 seconds, cast 3 wait 3 seconds, repeat. It's not quite as bad as that (a few instant chain skills here and there, a few reactionary spells if the fight doesn't go well, etc). But mostly that was it. Drove me nuts with the amount of kills needed to level after 20.

Now though, I'm leveling a ranger. Got him to 20 and am having a blast again. They are the worst class 1-15, but I'm finally really feeling the love. A bit slower to kill than my sorc but 0 downtime because I don't get hit and barely use any mana. Plus they have a huge damage range and can crit for amazing amounts of damage.

So wtf guys, why didn't anyone tell me azphel was going to be the tfp server :P yall should have joined me on Lumiel

PS ranger's name is Dethale

Esoteric

I'm on Azphel because of people I played with back in my DAoC days. I also rolled a Ranger and hit 17 last night, lol. I just crafted myself some Noble Leather pieces and Mosbear Skin Legs. I'd like to make myself a Mosbear Jerkin, or even the whole set, but people are asking for 3k Kinah for one fucking Minor Armor Flux. Pretty ridiculous, imo.

__________________
From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

Zeraph

Wow, i should sell those. Ive just been vendoring them. Although I think Lumiels economy is a lot better. Everything, and I mean everything, is super cheap except (IMO) physical crit manastones (~+8s going for like 8k kin). Green weapons are like 4-8k kin. Most green armor is like 2-4k kin.

Hah, thats funny. Did you feel sorc was monotonous too? Man just wait till stunning shot at 19, its sick. It has a chance to do double dmg as well as crit! I've crit for 1288 (without devotion)! You nearly one shot mobs when that happens.

Esoteric

Yeah it was getting a bit monotonous for me. I was originally turned off by having to kite in PvE as a Ranger, but the constant moving while trying to avoid other mobs makes it a bit more challenging and engaging. I'll admit there are times when I died that nearly made me want to quit the class altogether though. Do you guys utilize jumpshooting? It's pretty awesome.

__________________
From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

Zeraph

Yeah, it's fairly easy for me (been kiting in other MMOs since 1999) but it's not all that useful after 19. I really don't need to use it unless I'm kiting elites and even then, the slow(entangling shot) is plenty to keep ahead of the mobs even without using JS. And if my slow has worn off before CD then I just run and don't risk it. If I have to refresh a hit (so it doesn't reset) I just auto shot since I only have to pause for a split second (faster than doing a JS swift arrow for instance).

But ya, I still love the challenge of playing a harder class. Normally I go for power and am surprised I'd rather play the (slightly) weaker class in exchange for more variety and challenge.

Zeraph

Well Aion really hasn't lived up to the hype. It has lag spikes and lags in cities just like every other MMO unfortunately. I don't know what happened between open beta and release.

Not enough PvP early on. I've been playing a little over a month and have only been able to experience about a minute and a half of pvp...that speaks for itself. I know it gets better at higher levels, but why should I have to play for so long just to pvp?

The difficulty is at an odd place. It's "harder" than WoW but not anywhere near as difficult as original EQ. Exp penalties are really just monetary penalties as you buy it back right there, same as WoW really. There's no working together that a truly challenging game brings like networking with clerics so you can get a res when you need it, or hiring someone higher level to retrieve your corpse.

Mobs are a bit harder than WoW but I can still *easily* solo with any class and I feel nigh invincible in a group. Just ran the first instance (not till lvl 25!) and it was pretty meh. Not very exciting. Feels pretty similar in difficulty to mid level WoW instances but even more monotonous. The boss didn't use any interesting abilities. Again, I hear it gets better but why should I have to play for 4 months to experience the good part of the game?

Rolling alts, or rerolling your main is horrible in this game.

I haven't quit, but I may after my next month is up. The game is slowing down and feeling grindy but without the fun difficulty factor of original eq. Everyone looks too similar. All quests feel too similar (and too few, and too easy). Even WoW has a better immersiveness it seems to me at this time.

Gabbyness

Zeraph,

I'm sorry to hear all that. I was kinda pumped for this game (cool concept) but it doesn't sound like it's too snazzy. Level 25 to instance? Why do they do that in games!!!

On the other hand, enjoying the hell outa Borderlands, check it out!

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Plaid13

Aion is by far the worst mmorpg i have ever played =( huge disapointment. It feels like it was designed to be dumbed down to the level that anyone could understand but they took it too far and it ended up a game with no depth at all.

Vizzini

I am glad I decided I was going to wait 2 months after release before playing. It's so hard to judge when it is just released because everyone is so hyped about starting a new game. I am reading a lot of similar posts on the AION forums as well regarding people being burned out already with the grind. And amazingly enough it seems the developers are allowing botting to run rampant??

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Inconceivable!

Zeraph

Ish. It's not quite as bad as the forum whiners say (although it was for the first month) but its a bit worse than most western MMOs. I wouldn't say its anything to quit over by itself. The gold spammers are almost non existent now. I only see maybe 1 spammer a day, about the same as WoW. The number of bots is hard to judge (more than WoW for sure tho), I maybe run across a few a day. Although I hear its worse in a few higher level areas I haven't been to yet (top char is 28).

Its one of those things that's very hard to judge because many see bots where there aren't any. I've talked to and played with several people accused of botting just because they grind a lot or because someone was pissed at them. Bots are the new witch hunt in this game.