What, no Rift (http://www.riftgame.com/en/ (http://www.riftgame.com/en/)) thread? I was under the impression everyone was talking about it, but maybe that's only the case in Warhammer?
I've been playing the beta last week (they gave out keys like candy), and I found it a really fun game, it's very likely I'm going to play it when it comes out.
It's mainly a PvE fantasy MMO with some PvP elements. I really hope the PvP will be good, since I acquired a taste for it in Warhammer (sadly the latest version finally broke the already buggy gameplay, greedy EA now sells levels and armor that created a huge power gap in the last bracket, this kills PvP-centric game since newcomers and casual players can't compete :lamo).
There are some neat things about this game I really like:
-> The soul system that allows you to create a very unique combination of skills. It's possible to switch from an offensive built to a defensive or healing built in 2 seconds, so if you're in a group and need a healer or a tank you can just switch. Every one of the four classes can be offensive, defensive or heal, and everything in between.
-> The name giving rifts which will appear everywhere and will invade and destroy your towns if you don't stop them. It's a very dynamic element and the world will change a lot if you keep on questing and don't stop them.
->The PvP element, you can go to the opposing faction and destroy there towns and open rifts there. But I have only seen a bit so far and been mainly on the defensive, I reached the necessary level pretty late. But it's surprising how popular the PvP servers were, I wouldn't expect that from a PvE centric game. For now there are no level restrictions for the zones, so I wonder how much griefing low levels are going to be an issue.
-> The game is very polished, the beta is far better than Warhammer after two years, and both games run on the same engine (Gamebryo). The developer team seems to be very fast to react to inputs from the community, that's really amazing.
Some things that are not so impressive:
-> The races look very bland and the story doesn't seem to be very deep.
-> The crafting system is nothing to write home about. Certainly a step up from Warhammer, and supposedly comparable with Warcraft, but peaople on the forums say there have been MMOs that did a better job there.
-> Presently there is no way to change the appearance of your armor/weapons besides some expensive dye, so if you want the good stats you look a bit mismatched and like everyone else on that level. (I'd expect them to at least take the minimum effort of Warhammer that allowed you to apply appearances from other armor to your present set.)
So far I had a lot of fun, might be just the honeymoon phase and I haven't seen endgame yet, but there are two more beta events I will take part in before it gets released in March.
My favorite video, it explains a bit about the game and the first guy talking is my guild leader in Warhammer, he's an alpha tester. :)
Rift: Enter the Rift Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL4rV6SDry0#ws)
I'm in the beta, have the client downloaded just haven't had time to log in and check it out!
Quote from: billybob476 on January 30, 2011, 07:06:49 PM
I'm in the beta, have the client downloaded just haven't had time to log in and check it out!
Oh, nice, the next beta event will probably be around the 4th, hope to see you there! :)
The problem I saw with Rift was that it really looked like a WoW clone. And really with as many companies that have been doing wow-clones then dying, it was lucky it even blipped my radar. I'd like to see someone actually produce a unique game, not just a WoW-clone and then change a few features. Not what I'm looking forward to atm.
I'll also admit that the few companies that produce a MMORPG with a fantasy-based game are going to have a tough time breaking the WoW-clone-comparison.
King
Well, Trion claims to have the next generation of MMO, I'm not sure if this holds up, but at least it'll be a very well produced game.
I lately came to the realization that innovation isn't necessarily the only key to a good gaming experience, excelling on your field is, too.
For example the Mass Effect 2. Was it really unique? No. Was it a good, enjoyable game? Yes, the people producing it really knew what they were doing and polished the game until it shined. Or the latest Trek movie? Unique? No. Enjoyable? Oh yeah!
If you want to go deeper into the topic of innovation concerning this game, I'll just put this blogpost here, I found it very interesting.
(He's Benjamin Foley, my guild leader in Warhammer and someone I look up to. He's driven to improve the gaming experience for everyone, starting with alpha testing and sending in code that actually gets implemented in the game to being a leader of a big guild, organizing social events and being a forum mod. Even more amazing, he also has a live. And no, he's not working for Trion, in case you wondered.)
Quote
Foghladha's Blog:
The Evolution Of MMO
By: Foghladha
There's been a lot of debate over whether RIFT: Planes of Telara and Guild Wars 2 are "Next-Gen". Many have ruled them out completely claiming their carbon copy MMO's. We'll lets take a closer look at these two upcoming titles and see what's under the hood.
PUSH vs PULL METHODOLOGY
In WoW, DAOC, EQ, WAR, Etc. The main system is built on the idea of a world which a player lives in. You play a side story in bigger picture. When you log off nothing changes, nobody misses you, the world is the same as when you were logged in.
In GW2 & RIFT: they have innovated this concept and placed the Player first making the game the world that exists around the player. With these 2 games the MMO world gains cause and effect for the first time. IF players do not stop RIFTs they will spawn invasions that will take over every square inch of the map. Your efforts directly effect the world around you. In GW2 you see a wagon train getting ambushed, you can help ambush it or you can save them. Depending on what you do changes the overall picture. NO OTHER MMO has ever allowed this type of player dictated content. In both of them the WORLD fights back and the idea behind TiVO, Hulu, & Netflix comes to the MMO world. The same fate is hitting the Radio industry hard right now. People want content to be Personal, They dont want it to be dictated by some other outside force. Hulu, TiVi, and Netflix have flourished, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter have boomed. The world is about YOU now. Traditional MMO's are based on PUSH methodology, they make YOU come to them. The NEXT GEN MMO's use PULL methodology making the world come to you. Play it how you want, when you want, for as long as you want and the story will shape around your actions.
QUESTING:
In the Traditional MMO you will spend most of your time Questing in Travel. The vast majority of games send you to the opposite ends of the earth.
NEXT GEN MMO's (GW2 & RIFT) place the quest near the player. If you pick up a quest in RIFT you will not have to travel to the far side of the map and back again. Each Quest hub takes you to the next quest hub. All those stupid annoying quests that send you several zones over just to come back then send you back again are a thing of the past. RIFT is very good at keeping it local and making the EVENT part of the quest the primary focus rather than the travel time to get to the event. In GW2 they take this a step further getting rid of quests all together. EVENTS happen in GW2, You'll see them spawn up and have to decide what to do with them. Again killing the travel time required to complete a quest.
REWARDS:
Rewards in the NEXT GEN MMO's are not random chance of goodies that you cant even use. Both RIFT and GW2 deploy a mechanic that ensures that every time you complete a RIFT or a dungeon you walk away with something. It may not be the elite axe of almighty doom but it will be something that you CAN use. How many times have you farmed dungeons in Traditional MMO's and come up empty handed?
SEPARATION OF PVP & PVE
WOW, DAOC, WAR, and most of the other Traditional MMO's require players that love PVP to PVE to get the best gear, They require players who hate PVP to PVP to get the best gear. They FORCE players to do something they dont enjoy just to get the best toys. The NEXT GEN MMO'S change this. They give players the freedom to do what they like and have equal rewards. If you love PVP they want to make it so you never have to do a single quest to advance and equip yourself. If you hate PvP they want to make sure that you have a great time and have no problems getting the gear you want solely by PvE. No longer are you REQUIRED to play how you don't like playing. How you play is entirely up to you.
THE ENGINE
Yes the game uses the Gamebryo toolset which just happens to be the same engine WAR used. Realize WAR was based of the early version of the Gamebryo engine, RIFT is 2.5 years after that launch in technology. Thats a long time in the software development world. Saying "Oh WAR sucks so RIFT must suck because they use the same framework" is like saying, Mass Effect 2 (Unreal 3 Engine) sucks because Devastation (Unreal 2 Engine) was built on the same engine. Except in this case those 2 games we less than a year apart. I can tell you from experience that RIFT is a very beautiful product, especially later on in the game when you get to AIR and WATER rifts. The foundation of the game is extremely solid and they have a lot of versatility to expand on demand. I've played WAR and I've play RIFT and I can tell you RIFT is a looooot nicer to control and play. I don't get stuck on everything, I don't fall through the floor, In WAR things see through objects, in RIFT they do not. And heck, I can even /sit.
THE STAFF
This is not something to overlook. I drew up a list of the people involved over at TRION here. Their staff is hand selected from the best MMO's of the past generation. WAR, DAOC, WOW, Lineage, Aion, AOC, WAR, EQ, SGO, you name it they got people who helped build those products and learned from their short comings. Both TRION and ArenaNet have some of the most impressive developers and artists on the market today. The people who brought you the products you LOVED now work for these 2 companies and are competing to have the next game that you love. The fact that I personally have submitted countless bugs and suggestions and had most of them implemented in the game within a couple patches time is impressive. Much like the game putting the players first, TRION is putting they player in control of the outcome of the game. If you can dream it and theres a demand for it they can build it. Not saying that if you think it would be totally rad to have pink legwarmers that breath fire that it will actually make it into game, but every idea is seen by the teams that make it happen and EVERY DAY Trion meets and discusses these ideas and the pro's and con's of these ideas. Making everyone able to be Jedi's or Removing RVR Mechanics that people have grown to love is not going to happen here. Every last person who holds a desk at TRION knowns Failure by name, They've seen it first hand, and every bone in their body is going to do their best to avoid it in the future. To be successful you must know failure, it's only in the hard times that we learn our lessons.
So is RIFT & GW2 a NEXT GEN MMO? Well was Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the whole social networking boom Web 2.0? I would say so. Innovation isn't about changing everything. It's about taking a good product and making it great. Games that try to break the mold often fail miserably. Trion is working on taking out all that crap you hate from the Current Gen MMO's and improving upon what we enjoy. I for one think that TRION and ARENANET are doing all of us a HUGE service in the fact that by taking this step they raise the bar for every other MMO out there and force them to start thinking about US and not the static story. We want to feel important in our game world, and these 2 companies are making that possible.
http://www.gaiscioch.com/lore/the_evolution_of_mmo.html (http://www.gaiscioch.com/lore/the_evolution_of_mmo.html)
I wouldn't mind giving it a try if anyone has any type of beta key available.
Quote from: Rico on January 31, 2011, 06:07:39 AM
I wouldn't mind giving it a try if anyone has any type of beta key available.
I know Scott and others keep posting keys on twitter and in the Rfit thread on the ELR forums. They are 25-use keys so each one is good for 25 people. That's how I got mine.
I will check later on when I'm back at the apt. Thanks!
Is there a Mac version? I'd try it. Isn't this the game that Scott has been hyping for years now that Kurt Schilling the old Phillies pitcher helped develop?
Oh and welcome back Cosmonaut! :)
Scott has been enjoying the beta but this isn't the 38 Studios project. They are coming out with another game before they release their MMO apparently.
Claiming to be next-generation of gaming scares me period. There is NO developer company who has repeatedly said that their game is "The Next Generation of ____" and won me. And I've tried a bunch. While their idea may be next-generation, their implementation was poor and all they had was fancy graphics. Anytime anyone has said they are next-gen anything in gaming I just run the other direction. Of course this doesn't mean that these developers (TRION or anyone else) is great/terrible, but I just view it as false advertising, trying to amp up your game as something great when it really isn't. Trion is an untested company promising a lot of features to their game and then also claiming to be the next-generation. This "scares" me because your promising a lot. Almost too much for any sane developer.
Now to be a little less negative...
Excelling in your field is exactly what attracts me. The games I loved last year, AI War, EvE, ME2, they excel in their field. So I'll grant you that. If Rift is all that it is cracked up to be, then maybe I'll give it a look. There is quite a bit of promise in what they are putting out. World PVP, an interactive changing world and more. I always wanted that from WoW, but it never got there. But the question is can they deliver on this. And will the PVP be balanced. As you said, Warhammer epicly failed on this front so I wonder if TRION has figured out the magic formula on this front.
King
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on January 31, 2011, 10:35:29 AM
Claiming to be next-generation of gaming scares me period. There is NO developer company who has repeatedly said that their game is "The Next Generation of ____" and won me. And I've tried a bunch. While their idea may be next-generation, their implementation was poor and all they had was fancy graphics. Anytime anyone has said they are next-gen anything in gaming I just run the other direction. Of course this doesn't mean that these developers (TRION or anyone else) is great/terrible, but I just view it as false advertising, trying to amp up your game as something great when it really isn't. Trion is an untested company promising a lot of features to their game and then also claiming to be the next-generation. This "scares" me because your promising a lot. Almost too much for any sane developer.
Now to be a little less negative...
Excelling in your field is exactly what attracts me. The games I loved last year, AI War, EvE, ME2, they excel in their field. So I'll grant you that. If Rift is all that it is cracked up to be, then maybe I'll give it a look. There is quite a bit of promise in what they are putting out. World PVP, an interactive changing world and more. I always wanted that from WoW, but it never got there. But the question is can they deliver on this. And will the PVP be balanced. As you said, Warhammer epicly failed on this front so I wonder if TRION has figured out the magic formula on this front.
King
Have you played WoW since they implemented phasing tech all over the world? The whole interactive, changing environment thing you talk about is there now. You can work on a quest and when you're finished the world is very different than when you started.
I have Joby and it is nice I'll grant that, I just wish it didn't separate you from other players, always felt like I was alone all the time when I tried it out on my vacation last month. TRIONs idea has merit in that everyone can be involved, not just because you did a special quest to get to that point (if I'm hearing them right).
King
I'm always alone when I quest anyway so that doesn't bother me. Don't mean to talk about WoW in yet another thread...saw there were currently no plans for a Mac client for Rift. Once again I should figure out how to run Bootcamp...blah blah
Yes Joby - a Mac can't really do everything. ;)
Quote from: Rico on January 31, 2011, 11:43:04 AM
Yes Joby - a Mac can't really do everything. ;)
Well, Warhammer runs on my Mac - but if I boot it with Windows Warhammer runs better ;p
Quote from: Rico on January 31, 2011, 06:07:39 AM
I wouldn't mind giving it a try if anyone has any type of beta key available.
They hand out beta keys that are good for 25 uses, this one still should be full:
3HEQ-2FD7-DQRZ-7Y7R-NT2K
and @King
Well, my instinct tells me to distrust anything that is hyped, I'm going to believe it when I see it.
I think we can agree there. :)
I haven't seen much so far, but I know where to find my guild - they are playing Rift alpha, beta and omega. Some of them are MMO vets, the guild used to be active in GW, WoW, Aion and DOAC, too.
Some still play WoW, getting a high level toon is a huge time investment and you get attached, if I enjoyed the game I wouldn't abandon them either.
Quote from: Rico on January 31, 2011, 11:43:04 AM
Yes Joby - a Mac can't really do everything. ;)
Oh Boo Hoo! Like I have any time for a new MMO anyway. ;) ;) ;)
Actually I am more tempted to try DC Universe Online. I've heard varying reports of course, some have said they can hit the level cap in one or two days, and that the queues for end game instanced content are hours long if they're running at all....but it sounds so cool. The various podcasters I've listened to seem split. The Giant Bomb guys hated it, while Jeff Canata from Weekend Confirmed and Totally Rad loved it beyond words. I want to try it on PS3, but $60 bucks + $15 a month is too steep considering I am still addicted to WoW.
QuoteTrion Worlds today announced dates for the sixth Rift™ closed beta event, "Planar War." The event is scheduled to begin at 10 AM PST Friday, February 4th and end at 10 AM PST Monday, February 7th.
http://forums.riftgame.com/showthread.php?44961-Rift%99-%93Planar-War%94-Beta-Event-Set-to-Kick-off-on-February-4 (http://forums.riftgame.com/showthread.php?44961-Rift%99-%93Planar-War%94-Beta-Event-Set-to-Kick-off-on-February-4)
If anyone else wants a key, mmorpg.com got more then 4000 beta keys. You just need to make an account on their site and log in to get one. 3400 remaining.
http://www.mmorpg.com/giveaways.cfm/offer/257/Rift-Beta-Key-Grab.html (http://www.mmorpg.com/giveaways.cfm/offer/257/Rift-Beta-Key-Grab.html)
Cool Joe! Thanks!
Off I go....
Ok, so I'm all signed up and got my key, etc. Do these Beta "events" only go for a few days? So the servers are only up at certain times??
Quote from: Rico on February 01, 2011, 08:12:19 AM
Ok, so I'm all signed up and got my key, etc. Do these Beta "events" only go for a few days? So the servers are only up at certain times??
Yes, they have events that usually run a few days, every time there are more levels and areas available.
The lower levels are said to be very standard fantasy MMO you see the first rifts over level 6 and enter the contested areas at level 20.
I should also mention the soul tree calculator, allows you to try different builds (though it might not be up to date), looks like the one in the game
http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html (http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html)
You pick an archetype, and at level 12 you will have three souls, spend your points as you wish. Even better, you can then purchase new roles and get different builds with different souls on the same toon! :)
(That's something I really love, don't have to level a dps, a tank, and a healer, I have my archetype and can just switch to another role!)
QuotePlanar War
Friday, Feb. 4, 2011 at 10:00 AM PST (18:00 GMT) through 10:00 AM PST (18:00 GMT) on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
Levels 1-35
Telara is left in chaos as the elemental planes force their way into reality. The armies of Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Life, and Death launch devastating invasions through the rifts opening across the land. Beat back the invasions and eliminate the planar blight that's eroding this once-prosperous world.
Play to win! Seal any rift and receive planar loot and you could be eligible to win an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 video card! Terms and conditions apply, click here for details. And In-Game Prize Packs will be given away to ten (10) select players who complete the objective!
Beta Event dates subject to change and/or cancellation at any time in Trion's sole discretion.
http://www.riftgame.com/en/beta/schedule/listings/111810_planarwar.php (http://www.riftgame.com/en/beta/schedule/listings/111810_planarwar.php)
Sounds like fun! So this coming weekend I should be able to give Rift a go.
Quote from: Rico on February 01, 2011, 10:07:38 AM
Sounds like fun! So this coming weekend I should be able to give Rift a go.
Yay, see you there! :)
I haven't logged in either, is there more then one server?
Quote from: billybob476 on February 01, 2011, 10:19:48 AM
I haven't logged in either, is there more then one server?
Yes, I didn't count but they had like 20 servers and added more as they all filled up. And that's only the US area, there are probably more for the European area.
They come in:
PvP (Player versus Player)
PvE (Player versus Environment)
PvP-RP (Roleplay)
PvE-RP
Difference is, on the PvE servers you will have to flag yourself if you want to fight the other faction, unless you are in a contested area or want to capture one of their towns. I heard the PvE servers have more mature players and are less prone to ganking and griefing. Haven't encountered it so far, but it's already happening. :(
Defiant side is more popular than Guardian, I think mostly for the lore, but there are also different racial abilities, everything else is mirrored.
My guild Gaiscioch is presently on Faeblight (PvE-RP?), Guardian side, if you go there and need a guild just ask for an invite.
http://h20435.www2.hp.com/t5/The-Next-Bench-Blog/Trion-Rift-Opens-on-HP-Servers/ba-p/61333 (http://h20435.www2.hp.com/t5/The-Next-Bench-Blog/Trion-Rift-Opens-on-HP-Servers/ba-p/61333)
That's an article about the servers and how the innovative setup is supposed to prevent server crashes when many players are in the same area.
Should allow some battles of epic proportions, and coming from Warhammer I'll be duly impressed if this runs smooth.
And that's their plan for Saturday:
QuoteRIFT Stress Test
Saturday, Feb 5, 2011,12:00 PM – 2:00PM PST
We've had heaps of players in the RIFT beta, and we're really proud of how the shards are holding up. We think they can handle pretty much whatever we throw at them... so let's throw more stuff! We're hosting a special "Bring Down the House" event this Saturday to see just how much they can handle. The proverbial gauntlet has been thrown down and to make it worth your while, we'll be giving away 100 In-Game Prize Packs, and an Nvidia GTX 460 video card. All you have to do is play for the duration of the event.
Bring it. We dare you. Because seriously, the riftspawn were saying some pretty rude things about all your moms.
Yeah I got that email this morning, hopefully I'll have time Saturday to log in!
Hmmm, no email for me yet today.
Just heard about this. Grabed a key and now going to see what's going on
Quote from: Rico on February 03, 2011, 08:09:52 AM
Hmmm, no email for me yet today.
They are still not finished sending out mails:
Quote
We're still in the process of sending out the invitations, and we found a way to increase the sending speed, again! Thanks everyone. ^Zann
http://twitter.com/# (http://twitter.com/#)!/Riftgame
Just got the email
Got my invite email finally too. I'll try and get the game downloaded later on after work today.
I'm not skiing this weekend so I should have some time!
Getting the game downloaded and patched now. About an hour to go...
Rift is being over-hyped. I played it and got to level 38. It's a Korean Grindfest......WoW still will have virtually no competition.
Quote from: Blackride on February 06, 2011, 03:02:12 AM
Rift is being over-hyped. I played it and got to level 38. It's a Korean Grindfest......WoW still will have virtually no competition.
Holy cow! Level 1-38?!?! I tried to log in last night but couldn't seem to get on. I played for a few minutes Friday night. Seems to be a pretty game at least.
Yep it is purdy....
I'm playing a little more right now. It's pretty darn WOW-like. One question... I have the little flying wings thing. Does that only help you cover a short distance?
Another screenshot of "Rico" in game:
Ugh, why can't anyone make a new UI anymore. I look at that and there is literally nothing new. Just changed/tweaked to the game. I mean, even Modders for WoW can design a completely new UI, (I used a few of them) I just wonder why none of these companies can't...
King
Well, there is the expression, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Plus for those who have played WOW, you don't need a lot of instruction on the controls.
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on February 06, 2011, 02:46:23 PM
Ugh, why can't anyone make a new UI anymore. I look at that and there is literally nothing new. Just changed/tweaked to the game. I mean, even Modders for WoW can design a completely new UI, (I used a few of them) I just wonder why none of these companies can't...
Why should they? I don't play any of these games but I'm pretty sure the user interface isn't the main incentive for those who do. Change for change's sake just doesn't make economic sense.
Quote from: Feathers on February 07, 2011, 12:17:19 AM
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on February 06, 2011, 02:46:23 PM
Ugh, why can't anyone make a new UI anymore. I look at that and there is literally nothing new. Just changed/tweaked to the game. I mean, even Modders for WoW can design a completely new UI, (I used a few of them) I just wonder why none of these companies can't...
Why should they? I don't play any of these games but I'm pretty sure the user interface isn't the main incentive for those who do. Change for change's sake just doesn't make economic sese.
Also having a more standardized interface allows players to pick up and play with ease. Imagine if every car you bought had a wildly different set of controls?
One thing Rift seems to have going for it is you can really tweak your character class A LOT! Lots of options of where to put your "soul points" or whatever they are called to customize what areas you want to be good at. WOW seems to always try too hard to sort of balance everything out too much at times. I'm not sure how this customization would work when it comes to PvP, but it's fun to build the character you want. Wish the Beta play time wasn't just on the weekends. I wanted to play a bit more still.
I'm with everyone else here. Why change what works? Having a semi standard UI works because there is less time needed to understand how to play the game. That being said, the beginnings of this style of UI has been out for over a decade. There is an old vampire game for the PC that had the basics of the UI back in 2000. They moved things around, but you can see how the UI evolved to what it is now.
My question to you is: What do you expect and why the complaint? I mean since most UIs are customizable anyway, why complain because it works?
It's like complaining that cars still have four wheels and a steering wheel after all of these years.
I've never really liked the UI to begin with, my problem being from a creative design standpoint, mostly (not entirely) but now that we are comparing video games to cars....
*shrug*
King
Open Beta running next week it seems. Not sure if the servers are up this weekend or not.
7th beta event starts on the 15th and lasts 6 days I think. Will be the last time, those who pre-ordered can start playing the 24th, game will be officially released on 3/1/.
Quote from: Blackride on February 06, 2011, 03:02:12 AM
Rift is being over-hyped. I played it and got to level 38. It's a Korean Grindfest......WoW still will have virtually no competition.
Korean Grindfest? So for months you did the same boring stuff again and again to progress in the game?
Are you sure we are talking about the same game and if so can I have your alpha account?
Quote from: Rico on February 06, 2011, 02:29:44 PM
I'm playing a little more right now. It's pretty darn WOW-like. One question... I have the little flying wings thing. Does that only help you cover a short distance?
Had the wings on my cleric, sadly they only work for short distances.
Added some pictures of my rouge, really love playing her, she's a Riftstalker and I often had to think of Nightcrawler/Blink when porting behind the enemy. Wish I had taken more/better screenshots.
Have you preordered the game Katrin?
Quote from: Rico on February 12, 2011, 10:19:26 AM
Have you preordered the game Katrin?
I was about to do it and trying to figure out if there was a way to get the English CE in time when I learned I can't even play the 30 free days without giving them a credit card number. :/
As I mentioned before, I don't have one because my debit card works just fine for most purposes (I know they are important in the US for things beyond shopping, like credit scores, but our system is different). Now I either have to wait until they have finished negotiating their deal with paypal or upgrade my debit card with a Visa/MasterCard logo for 25€/year, one of the cheaper offers I found.
It's ridiculous I can buy both the virtual and the physical version of the game without any problems but still won't be able to play it.
Can you not buy the game in store?
Over here at least you can buy prepaid "gametime" cards in stores like Best Buy. These give you a code to enter for your monthly fees. This works for people without credit cards and so on.
Quote from: cosmonaut on February 12, 2011, 11:17:06 AM
Quote from: Rico on February 12, 2011, 10:19:26 AM
Have you preordered the game Katrin?
I was about to do it and trying to figure out if there was a way to get the English CE in time when I learned I can't even play the 30 free days without giving them a credit card number. :/
As I mentioned before, I don't have one because my debit card works just fine for most purposes (I know they are important in the US for things beyond shopping, like credit scores, but our system is different). Now I either have to wait until they have finished negotiating their deal with paypal or upgrade my debit card with a Visa/MasterCard logo for 25€/year, one of the cheaper offers I found.
It's ridiculous I can buy both the virtual and the physical version of the game without any problems but still won't be able to play it.
No paypal option?
King
It's not about the monthly fees, right now I can't even enter the key of the game without giving them a credit card number first.
You know, like making an iTunes account, they really want to have your CC because that will increase the chance that you make some impulse buying. But I still have an account, because you can work around that by jumping through a hoop.
Now I'm waiting to see if they change that policy. Seems for beta contacting customer support helps, this might be the hoop I'm looking for, but I want to have some confirmation before I buy the game.
It's a young company, so I understand there is some stuff they have to figure out first, and thus far they've been very responsive to community feedback. They promised paypal and prepaid gametime cards and they are good with keeping promises, so I'm sure I'll be playing the game, it's just a question of when.
I think the credit card deal is to lower the amount of scam accounts and/or children under 18 from making an account, including iTunes. But I'm only guessing.
King
Looking forward to a little more Rift time tonight. :)
Anyone playing much in the open beta?
Quote from: Rico on February 20, 2011, 11:40:17 AM
Anyone playing much in the open beta?
I was! :)
They also have paypal now as paying method, so I bought the game now.
Going to play a Rogue again, mostly as a dps based on the porting tank but in bigger groups as a bard healer (the picture below with the musical notes against the rift invasion boss).
This does look so cool but I know I can't put the time in. Shame as I'm sure I'd enjoy this.
Even though I seem to have little time for even WOW these days, I'm still tempted to pick this game up. On sale in stores starting today.
I actually gave STO another go this weekend. I may send in a comment updating folks in the next 2 or 3 weeks (out of town this weekend).
That would be great to hear about Joe.
- Also Katrin, I'd love to get a few minutes of audio from you about "Rift" for the podcast sometime.
Well since I realized I haven't been logging into WoW lately I picked up Rift last night. I'm on Shadefallen on the Defiant side with those from my WoW guild who are also giving it a go.
I'm a level 3 cleric trying out melee DPS as a Shaman/Druid/Justicar.
Interesting so for. Simillar to WoW but different enough to be interesting. Loving the graphics as well. From screenshots I thought it looked a little too 'clean', but after getting in game I can appreciate the aesthetic.
Also, I really like the whole premise of the story, you're brought back as a reborn soldier and sent back in time. Kind of cool fantasy/sci-fi mix.
If I make it on the call this weekend I can speak to both STO and Rfit.
Why are you taking a WoW break Joe? I've been going full force, and having a blast. My priest is at gear lvl 346 right now, well tuned for raiding as Holy or DPS and set for the new/old five man dungeons when they hit during the next content patch. I'm having a good time running heroics and improving my gear to have a separate set for both the Holy and DPS specs. And I've been doing dailies at Tol Barad every day for commendations and honor points as well, something I never thought I'd be doing. I don't think I've ever had as much fun in WoW as I've been having recently.
Yeah I am taking a bit of a break. I'm not sure why, when I log in I do enjoy myself but I just don't have the desire to log in. This is my third break from the game, it usually last a few months then I get the bug to come back.
Love to hear more about your thoughts on "Rift" Joe. Sounds like it might be different enough from WOW to give it more of a try than just the Beta.
Since Rico asked so nicely, here are some initial thoughts on Rift:
I got into this game without really reading much about it aside from stuff in this thread and some vague things I've heard in podcasts. I had downloaded the beta but was never able to find the time to log in. I came in knowing it was similar to WoW, you could have up to four specs, and that a lot of my guildies that were very hardcore into WoW were enjoying it. So I took the plunge and bought the game off Steam.
So down to it.
Graphics: From screenshots people had posted from the beta I wasn't incredibly impressed with the graphics. My observations were wrong. This game looks awesome. Unlike STO, I get good framerates, the animation is nice and fluid and the world also looks great! The character models are very nicely detailed. All of the races on the Defiant side are fairly human-looking which is a little bit disappointing but everything looks good.
Gameplay: As people in the beta know, there are four classes, Mage, Cleric, Warrior and Rogue. Each class can pretty much tank, heal or DPS. I'm not sure why but I decided to go for a Cleric and I decided to level him as a Shaman/Druid. Not sure why but melee DPS appealed to e that day :)
Control and UI wise this game basically mimics WoW. With that in mind I'll actually reiterate and say it mimics WoW with some of the basic addons you'd want. You can move and size pretty much anything on the screen. For the moment I'm going with the default UI with a few extra action bars turned on, but I know the UI redesign bug will hit me soon. There is no support for addons at the moment but we are told that's coming.
The game takes you to a type of tutorial right at the beginning that explains the whole soul system to you. You choose your first threee souls over a few levels.
Leveling: I'm at level 14 at the moment. Leveling via questing is quite fun, quests are pretty standard MMO types, collect X, Kill X, Talk to NPC X. This may sound dull but the context in which the quests are given to you make performing fairly mundane tasks entertaining. As you level you gain skills and abilities at a reasonable rate. So far (at level 14) it seems like the moment you start to get bored with a certain set of abilities or a rotation you get handed a new spell. It's not so much as to be overwhelming but quick enough so you stay interested.
You get talent points to put in your three soul trees starting at level 2. The fun thing here is that your spells and abilities are directly linked to how many points you add in a specific tree. So as you invest in a specific tree, not only do you get the benefit of whatever you put your talent points into, but your regular spells and abilities are also unlocked this way. This differs from WoW in that, in Rift, you do not buy new spells from your class trainer, only upgraded ranks of those spells you get via adding points into your talents.
One last note about talents, the game actually forces you to invest points in at least two trees as you level up. If you try and put too many points into a single tree, the game pops a warning saying you cannot add more points to this tree until you level up. This kind of forces you to play around a bit and not just invest in a single talent tree until you max it out.
Story: So far the story and world are very engaging. I really like the way they've been able to meld traditional fantasy with some elements of high tech. The machines they have still seem like they run on magic but technology is very present in the world.
So I guess that's it for now.
Great report and rundown Joe - thanks! I'm even more tempted now to give it a go sometime. Although my time lately has diminished even more. But I hope to try it at some point.
I also forgot to mention how much fun it is dealing with the randomly spawning Rifts. Even on a PvE server, it kind of gives you that 'oh crap' feeling you get on PvP without the jerky ganking and corpse camping.
Quote from: billybob476 on March 01, 2011, 09:03:43 AM
I actually gave STO another go this weekend. I may send in a comment updating folks in the next 2 or 3 weeks (out of town this weekend).
I started playing STO again about a week ago because I saw a story about them adding TOS skins.
I found a great group of adults to play with. http://stotosveteransfleet.guildlaunch.com/ (http://stotosveteransfleet.guildlaunch.com/)
They have added a ton of content and I am really enjoying it now. We will see if my enjoyment lasts.
So, I took a look this morning and Rift is on sale on Amazon. Hard to pass up on $35.00 for the game.
http://www.amazon.com/Rift-Pc/dp/B002I0HIC8/ref=pd_bxgy_vg_text_c (http://www.amazon.com/Rift-Pc/dp/B002I0HIC8/ref=pd_bxgy_vg_text_c)
Oh, if you want game play time cheaper, you can buy a 60 day game card too for only $25. Saves you like $5.
http://www.amazon.com/Rift-day-game-time-card-Pc/dp/B004K66O2S/ref=pd_sim_vg_1 (http://www.amazon.com/Rift-day-game-time-card-Pc/dp/B004K66O2S/ref=pd_sim_vg_1)
Here's one of my characters playing last weekend fighting off a Rift.
Very cool, I have a cleric and a mage both around level 16, having lots of fun with the game!
I have been playing Rift too! This game is AWESOME!!! I've played WoW since 2004 and many other MMOs before that dating back to NeverWinter Nights on AOL back in the mid 90s. Rift has everything you wish that WoW had. The graphics are awesome, gameplay is so smooth and understandable, storyline is great. Everything is great about it so far. I love the public groups that you can join at rifts. This game is very well done. I usually pass on the lesser known MMOs because I think they will be low quality but not so on this one. Everything is polished. There are SO many class choices and you can mix and match them. Like D&D multi-classing. You get a little bit of everything is you want. I quit playing WoW after Cataclysm and have had a very boring winter. Rift has definitely gotten me excited about an MMO again! I highly recommend it.
A friend of mine is playing quite a bit. Are you finding the the Rifts get a bit annoying after awhile? He said he finds it a bit of a bother to have to deal with Rifts all the time when questing and so forth.
I think the Rifts are awesome. Haven't been a problem so far.
Ok, so I picked this game up for a steal a couple days ago and trying to get into it now. Anyone still playing? One odd trouble is I was playing last night and got several disconnects in about a 30min. time span. That never happens in WOW for me. Anyway, if you are playing, let me know server and character name. I'm still kind of trying to decide on Guardian or Defiant - and then a class. Lots to get caught up on.
Just played some more tonight for about 45 min. with a new character and all seemed fine. Maybe last night was just network troubles or internet issues. Anyway, fun so far.
I had heard about RIFT, but there is simply nothing to get me interested in the game.
King
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on August 31, 2011, 05:11:21 PM
I had heard about RIFT, but there is simply nothing to get me interested in the game.
King
It's an MMO. And I think you kind of dropped doing any MMO's right Tim?
Quote from: Rico on August 31, 2011, 06:52:12 PM
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on August 31, 2011, 05:11:21 PM
I had heard about RIFT, but there is simply nothing to get me interested in the game.
King
It's an MMO. And I think you kind of dropped doing any MMO's right Tim?
Well, I meant more when I first heard about the game and I was playing MMOs back then. but yes, I'm not currently playing any.
King
I played it for a few months at launch, it was fun overall. I think of late I'm having trouble putting aside the time to really be able to get into a new MMO. I'm eagerly awaiting The Old Republic, if anything can hold me, it'll be a BioWare Star Wars MMO.
You still playing WOW or STO much Joe??
I haven't been playing much of anything lately, just haven't had the time! My WoW account is actually suspended right now. It's not for a lack of interest! All I've really been playing are some iPad games here and there.
Quote from: billybob476 on September 01, 2011, 05:44:39 AM
I played it for a few months at launch, it was fun overall. I think of late I'm having trouble putting aside the time to really be able to get into a new MMO. I'm eagerly awaiting The Old Republic, if anything can hold me, it'll be a BioWare Star Wars MMO.
I'm hopeful but skeptical of that game. But if anything pulls me out of MMO retirement, that game just might. I'm waiting and seeing what happens.
King
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on September 07, 2011, 11:18:23 AM
Quote from: billybob476 on September 01, 2011, 05:44:39 AM
I played it for a few months at launch, it was fun overall. I think of late I'm having trouble putting aside the time to really be able to get into a new MMO. I'm eagerly awaiting The Old Republic, if anything can hold me, it'll be a BioWare Star Wars MMO.
I'm hopeful but skeptical of that game. But if anything pulls me out of MMO retirement, that game just might. I'm waiting and seeing what happens.
King
Based on the vague replies I'm getting from guildies who are in the beta, the game is epic. It has BioWare storytelling along with fun mechanics. I keep checking daily to see if I've been accepted to the beta. If I enjoy it, I'll give it a few months.
Yeah, Bioware is one reason I'm hopeful. Utterly enjoyed Mass Effect series so if anyone can pull out a story MMO of worth, it is them. Them or Blizzard.
King