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WildStar
#1
CynicismKills
CynicismKills
So the game's in open beta now, if anyone was still curious to try it, and should be for a couple more weeks, I think. Copying my thoughts from the news thread.
The optimization issues have been somewhat addressed, but some folks (like me) had to disable the targeting icons. What that means is, unless I leave my own nameplate on all the time, I can't see my own hp bar. For whatever reason there's no hp bar on the hotbar/skill bar part of the HUD. So that's kind of annoying.
Combat's a bit smoother, though at low levels it is super boring. You have one basic ability (there is no auto-attack in this game) that you have to aim, as everything has a cast time of some sort and a target area (range/size changes based on the ability). Using your regular ability charges a class-based skill bar, allowing the use of a stronger attack that again, you aim and fire. Everyone has some kind of Super Sayajin Mode that lasts like 10 seconds and boosts your damage or something like that. All in all, it's a bit like Guild Wars 2 combat with skillshots, there's lots of dodging involved.
Starter areas, once you leave the tutorial ship, are kind of big, which is neat. It's still pretty much your typical MMO here, move from quest point 1 to 2, etc etc. There are things to find, like sidequests and points of interest, that give you xp and some cash, so exploring is encouraged. My biggest complaint here is you go from 2-3 quests to suddenly being overloaded with them. I spent more time checking my map than I did actually questing, it felt like, because it was so easy to get overwhelmed and forget where to go next without losing a lot of time running all over the place.
Outside of the class you pick, you also pick a Path. Depending on which you choose, you get different kinds of sidequests, some of which you actually have to explore to find. Soldier gets defend-the-tower and kill quests, Explorer has to 100% maps and find secluded-ish areas, Settler picks up items in the environment to set up sentry points (which can contain a shop, bonus quests, etc for any player to use), and then Scientist uses a droid to scan items in the world and other stuff.
Character and world design is pretty cool. Customization is a bit limited, only the face has sliders right now. However they added in different body types, so there's that, I guess. It feels and looks a lot like the Ratchet and Clank series.
All in all, I can see the game being fun, but in the way FF13 was. Slogging through uneventful low levels and starter quests to get to the meat of the game, which apparently is level 15+ when dungeons and other PvE content open (PvP is open at level 6 or something, I guess, haven't checked into that yet). Apparently raids and dungeons are going to be fairly challenging, and said raids are 40-man runs.
The optimization issues have been somewhat addressed, but some folks (like me) had to disable the targeting icons. What that means is, unless I leave my own nameplate on all the time, I can't see my own hp bar. For whatever reason there's no hp bar on the hotbar/skill bar part of the HUD. So that's kind of annoying.
Combat's a bit smoother, though at low levels it is super boring. You have one basic ability (there is no auto-attack in this game) that you have to aim, as everything has a cast time of some sort and a target area (range/size changes based on the ability). Using your regular ability charges a class-based skill bar, allowing the use of a stronger attack that again, you aim and fire. Everyone has some kind of Super Sayajin Mode that lasts like 10 seconds and boosts your damage or something like that. All in all, it's a bit like Guild Wars 2 combat with skillshots, there's lots of dodging involved.
Starter areas, once you leave the tutorial ship, are kind of big, which is neat. It's still pretty much your typical MMO here, move from quest point 1 to 2, etc etc. There are things to find, like sidequests and points of interest, that give you xp and some cash, so exploring is encouraged. My biggest complaint here is you go from 2-3 quests to suddenly being overloaded with them. I spent more time checking my map than I did actually questing, it felt like, because it was so easy to get overwhelmed and forget where to go next without losing a lot of time running all over the place.
Outside of the class you pick, you also pick a Path. Depending on which you choose, you get different kinds of sidequests, some of which you actually have to explore to find. Soldier gets defend-the-tower and kill quests, Explorer has to 100% maps and find secluded-ish areas, Settler picks up items in the environment to set up sentry points (which can contain a shop, bonus quests, etc for any player to use), and then Scientist uses a droid to scan items in the world and other stuff.
Character and world design is pretty cool. Customization is a bit limited, only the face has sliders right now. However they added in different body types, so there's that, I guess. It feels and looks a lot like the Ratchet and Clank series.
All in all, I can see the game being fun, but in the way FF13 was. Slogging through uneventful low levels and starter quests to get to the meat of the game, which apparently is level 15+ when dungeons and other PvE content open (PvP is open at level 6 or something, I guess, haven't checked into that yet). Apparently raids and dungeons are going to be fairly challenging, and said raids are 40-man runs.
#2
GasBandit
GasBandit
I installed it, tried it for a few hours, uninstalled it.
It's a very pretty MMO with a good control scheme, but it's definitely an iterative venture (evolutionary, not revolutionary). Most of the mechanics employed in the game have been lifted and slightly improved from other games. The beginning of the game is very linear and tiring - contrast that with say, Age of Conan at launch, where the first 20 levels were the best and most fun, and then the content just kind of ran out. I'm not a fan of how they chose to display information/dialog on the screen, but the quest tracker is fairly well done... you click the quest and get a 3-dimensional arrow pointing to the next objective.
All in all, it's an artistically impressive MMO, but it's very much an MMO - kill/fetch quests, competing with other players for resouces/boss kills, and really doesn't bring a whole lot "new" to the table. I didn't get to try out the housing dynamic, but I'd have a hard time imagining it to be worth playing the actual game more.
I guess I've just moved past MMOs as a genre now, really, other than experimental sandbox types where much of the fun is emergent gameplay (and I know that's such a buzzword). I'm just not interested in the disneyland ride MMO dynamic anymore.
It's a very pretty MMO with a good control scheme, but it's definitely an iterative venture (evolutionary, not revolutionary). Most of the mechanics employed in the game have been lifted and slightly improved from other games. The beginning of the game is very linear and tiring - contrast that with say, Age of Conan at launch, where the first 20 levels were the best and most fun, and then the content just kind of ran out. I'm not a fan of how they chose to display information/dialog on the screen, but the quest tracker is fairly well done... you click the quest and get a 3-dimensional arrow pointing to the next objective.
All in all, it's an artistically impressive MMO, but it's very much an MMO - kill/fetch quests, competing with other players for resouces/boss kills, and really doesn't bring a whole lot "new" to the table. I didn't get to try out the housing dynamic, but I'd have a hard time imagining it to be worth playing the actual game more.
I guess I've just moved past MMOs as a genre now, really, other than experimental sandbox types where much of the fun is emergent gameplay (and I know that's such a buzzword). I'm just not interested in the disneyland ride MMO dynamic anymore.
#3
linglingface
linglingface
My roommate has been talking about this game for close to a year now, so he had me download it. I haven't had a chance to play it yet though... thoughts on gameplay maybe tonight!
I did play a quick demo at PAX Prime last year, and it felt similar to WoW, and it was definitely a beautiful game. Because WoW is pretty much the only PC game I've played (save for a few 90's games), it's highly likely that I will play this when it's out.
I did play a quick demo at PAX Prime last year, and it felt similar to WoW, and it was definitely a beautiful game. Because WoW is pretty much the only PC game I've played (save for a few 90's games), it's highly likely that I will play this when it's out.
#4
ScytheRexx
ScytheRexx
I just gave it a run. Here is my basic opinion.
Pros:
Graphics are amazing, animations are very smooth. It is one of the first MMOs since WoW were I felt a great sense of cohesion with everything around me, rather then just a model floating on top of other models.
Combat feels very satisfying. I thought I would hate the loss of auto-attack, but since the combat is way more positional I had a lot of fun straffing enemies and double jumping around them like crazy while stabbing them in the face.
Cons:
The interface feels extremely cluttered. Honestly it made me miss the generic WoW quest window. There is just so much on the screen at once trying to tell you something, or have you click something, or accept a com call, or put my little scan bot window in the corner. All the indicators for things in the world space don't help. I found myself going through a bit of sensory overload on a quest or two.
Overall I am on the fence. It's not good enough to give up WoW yet, but it could be.
Pros:
Graphics are amazing, animations are very smooth. It is one of the first MMOs since WoW were I felt a great sense of cohesion with everything around me, rather then just a model floating on top of other models.
Combat feels very satisfying. I thought I would hate the loss of auto-attack, but since the combat is way more positional I had a lot of fun straffing enemies and double jumping around them like crazy while stabbing them in the face.
Cons:
The interface feels extremely cluttered. Honestly it made me miss the generic WoW quest window. There is just so much on the screen at once trying to tell you something, or have you click something, or accept a com call, or put my little scan bot window in the corner. All the indicators for things in the world space don't help. I found myself going through a bit of sensory overload on a quest or two.
Overall I am on the fence. It's not good enough to give up WoW yet, but it could be.
#5
Just Me
Just Me
I have to say that TSW has probably ruined all other games for me.
I tried LotRo with my old characters, but the static combat and the linear questing along with bad voiceovers (german dubbing) really didn't hold me for longer than 25 minutes before I ran back to TSW. I'm so glad there's Tokyo and with that finally new content coming out.
I tried LotRo with my old characters, but the static combat and the linear questing along with bad voiceovers (german dubbing) really didn't hold me for longer than 25 minutes before I ran back to TSW. I'm so glad there's Tokyo and with that finally new content coming out.
#6
ZenMonkey
ZenMonkey
Anyone still playing this? I played the beta just long enough to know I wasn't going to buy it at launch. I think I'd like another look around, though, since it was the penultimate day of the beta and I was a little rushed. Anyone have a guest pass that's going begging?
That was word for word my impression of the beta, especially the last sentence. For various reasons I'm not done with WoW, which I don't pay for, and I love ESO, which I do, so I don't quite have enough money/time/energy/interest to really dive into another MMO. But it intrigued me enough to want a second look.Pros:
Graphics are amazing, animations are very smooth. It is one of the first MMOs since WoW were I felt a great sense of cohesion with everything around me, rather then just a model floating on top of other models.
Combat feels very satisfying. I thought I would hate the loss of auto-attack, but since the combat is way more positional I had a lot of fun straffing enemies and double jumping around them like crazy while stabbing them in the face.
Cons:
The interface feels extremely cluttered. Honestly it made me miss the generic WoW quest window. There is just so much on the screen at once trying to tell you something, or have you click something, or accept a com call, or put my little scan bot window in the corner. All the indicators for things in the world space don't help. I found myself going through a bit of sensory overload on a quest or two.
Overall I am on the fence. It's not good enough to give up WoW yet, but it could be.
#7
CynicismKills
CynicismKills
I saw the requirements to get into raids.
No thanks.
The game itself was fun in beta, but I can't drop that kind of time/effort on MMOs anymore, and generally I end up wanting to raid in some form or another.
No thanks.
The game itself was fun in beta, but I can't drop that kind of time/effort on MMOs anymore, and generally I end up wanting to raid in some form or another.