RIFT: Planes of Telara thread

[Vagabond142]

Weeeeeeelll.... I wasn't really interested in this game. I signed up for beta a long time ago (I sign up for a LOT of betas, I'm a good tester and give good feedback). I know, however, that there is definitely some interest from what I've seen in the WoW thread, so to clean taht up, I've started this thread.

Beta 5 event was very lackluster, lots of lag, some broken quests, things not working, and I was about done with it then.

Beta 6, however... I think that this beta weekend event (Friday to today) has completely changed my mind. The game is smooth, lag free, everything just simply works, and the pvp (I LOATHE pvp) is actually.... fun... o____O

I'm very tempted to preorder, I think that this game will garner a fair bit of interest and have a stable population.

I'm going to finish this beta out till 11 am and then give my review around noon :) Testing dungeons next XD

[Zewind]

I played a bit of the beta 5. I couldnt get into it. I felt it was WOW with more realistic skins. I think WOW has ruined MMO's for me.

[natejj]

Just another WoW ripoff with some garbage "innovative" mechanic... "OHHHHH RIFTS". BOOORING.

[403Gemini]

Curious... what is a "WoW" ripoff by definition?

Health bar/ Mana Bar/ Spells / Classes and Races?

Holy christ that's almost every RPG before WoW... :rolleyes:

[BigMass]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
Curious... what is a "WoW" ripoff by definition?

Health bar/ Mana Bar/ Spells / Classes and Races?

Holy christ that's almost every RPG before WoW... :rolleyes:

They’re %100 correct. I played the beta. It’s a WoW clone that’s clunky, with a shitty UI and repetitive gameplay. It’s almost a step down from Allods. You can’t take WoW, tweak a few things and say it’s a new game. People aren’t going to leave WoW for a WoW clone, and people that quit WoW because they got sick of it (like me) aren’t going to resub to a WoW clone to do the same old shit over again.

There are about 100 things wrong with MMO development currently and the lack of innovation is a big reason they all suck. Lucky for SWOTR it has a huge IP, huge brand name and is going to come on the cusp of WoW dying of old age. Because if it wasn’t for those things that game would be failure as well. One game that tried a few new things and actually could have been good was Age of Conan. But of course it ended up being just another unfinished POS that has no content past level 20 so everyone ended up quitting.

You can add RIFT to the next list of mcshitty MMOs along with the recent Aion and FF14. If anything All Points Bulletin might be fun when it gets released FTP.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
Curious... what is a "WoW" ripoff by definition?

Health bar/ Mana Bar/ Spells / Classes and Races?

Holy christ that's almost every RPG before WoW... :rolleyes: they stole WoW's ideas before it was released.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by BigMass


They’re %100 correct. I played the beta. It’s a WoW clone that’s clunky, with a shitty UI and repetitive gameplay. It’s almost a step down from Allods. You can’t take WoW, tweak a few things and say it’s a new game. People aren’t going to leave WoW for a WoW clone, and people that quit WoW because they got sick of it (like me) aren’t going to resub to a WoW clone to do the same old shit over again.

There are about 100 things wrong with MMO development currently and the lack of innovation is a big reason they all suck. Lucky for SWOTR it has a huge IP, huge brand name and is going to come on the cusp of WoW dying of old age. Because if it wasn’t for those things that game would be failure as well. One game that tried a few new things and actually could have been good was Age of Conan. But of course it ended up being just another unfinished POS that has no content past level 20 so everyone ended up quitting.

You can add RIFT to the next list of mcshitty MMOs along with the recent Aion and FF14. If anything All Points Bulletin might be fun when it gets released FTP.

I dunno, I do find RIFT does bring a few nice Ideas to the table. Multiple specs isn't new, but I believe you get either 4-5 in this game, and the fact that you can take 3 classes and mix them any way you want certainly does open up for a lot of player customization on how you want to play - however it will succumb to the number crunchers like all games do that will result in: <insert ideal damage spec here>.

The game does have great graphics though, and the monsters look amazing. The player models are .... bleh, but after playing WoW I can live with that (since WoW is a fucking ugly game, I've thought that since BETA WoW, I think that now, nothing will change my mind of that).
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh233/cryage/bigguy.jpg

I do also like the idea that the game will be ever constantly changing with random rifts opening up over the world, so it gives me motivation to go to multiple zones rather than "Im going to go to this one spot and farm skeletons for their undead essence for hours on end!"

Also beta 5 it appeared TONS of people were doing dungeons which had me interested. Aion at level 25-30 there was what, 1 dungeon?

I dont think anything will kill WoW except blizzard itself. IMHO, Cataclysm was probably one of the worst things to happen to WoW. The expansion was terrible (as an end game player), however is quite good as a new player. I don't care about the challenge, that didn't bother me, but everything felt extremely recycled and boring.

Also I don't know if SWTOR will succeed soley on its IP, I mean look at LOTRO, it was a great game but it bombed pretty hard.

edit: btw I'm not actually defending RIFT, I did pre-order it because even if it keeps my attention for 3 months thats better than most games I buy ;) hah

[Vagabond142]

So, my thoughts... and I will not once refer to WoW in this gut-take review. Other MMOs, sure, but this is ignoring WoW:

All in all, I find RIFT to be a familiar, and fun, MMO very reminiscent of, of all things, Runes of Magic (a free to play MMO). It's much more polished and has much better content, but the base feeling of having more than one class and being able to mix and match skills is there.

I'll touch on the four major items that I enjoyed this beta weekend, and my thoughts:

-Rifts:

Quite fun, actually. There are tangible rewards for doing them, including high level gear, as well as some "grindfest" type of vanity items for people that want them (a pet fire squirrel for 5000 planar shards, for example). There is also the fact that the enemies at the rifts dynamically scale, meaning that if you're the only one there, the enemies will be a challenge but not impossible (as long as you're level appropriate to the rift, a level 9 toon taking on a level 20 rift will get squashed in one hit), and if there is a full 20 man raid there, it's scaled so that the enemies are a challenge for that raid. So if a rift invasion happens when you're the only one around, you can still do it and earn planar rewards.

I also like the fact that every couple of hours a major invasion happens, where a huge amount of rifts open and a zonewide quest starts, where you have to defend areas, kill specific mobs, carry items between places, and take down a major boss. These events give the best currency for planar rewards (I got an epic set of greaves from the planar rewards of my first major invasion).

-Classes and Roles:

How this works is a little complicated to grasp, but once you get the hang of it, it's awesome. You start off at character creation chosing your "focus," that being what type of character you will be: Warrior (mostly DPS and tank), Cleric (armored healers and casters), Mage (pure caster), Rogue (dps and offtanks). The basic idea of the focus is all about the armor... warriors = plate, clerics = chain, rogues = leather, mages = cloth. Within those four focus roles are seven basic classes and a couple of specialized ones (mainly for pvp).

You start off classless, and the first quest you get determines your first class. I chose to be a dps warrior, so I chose the paragon (dual wielding maces/axes/swords). I then synergized with a riftblade (elemental additions to the dual wield) and champion (big attacks after getting attack points). It ended up being a monster of a dps combination, but I had no blocking at all so I took damage.

My second toon was a Rogue focus with marksman (ranged weapons, ie guns and bows), ranger (pet), and saboteur (weapons skills for in close as well as explosives). Much more survivability and can run like the clappers if it needs to escape.

It sounds confusing and does take some playing around, but I found that no two people had the exact same class build, which is the entire point of the system, I think. Everyone can play as they like, and it does have a nice feel of actually MAKING a character instead of just doing the standard "you chose this, you ARE this."

And, to top it off, you can have 4 roles, that being that you can have 4 sets of 3 classes. So, for example, you're a dps warrior and the tank suddenly has to go and there are tons of dps but no tanks lfg? You switch to tank warrior, pick up a dps, continue going. Very versatile, dynamic, and lets you choose the right role for the right fight. You can also do a PVP build heavy on control and damage but not so much survivability, and be able to switch to a pve build with loads of resistances but not as much damage or control. I personally think it's a breath of fresh air on class design, and I really like it.

-Dungeons:

This beta I focused on getting up to and into dungeons (the first one for both teh Guardians ("good guys") and Defiants ("bad guys that are actually good guys but the Guardians think they're bad guys") is ~15-20 depending on group makeup), and did both the Iron Tombs (Defiants, paragon dps/paladin tank) and the Terrace of the Faes (blademaster dps/marksman dps) over the weekend.

Iron tombs: for a level 15-20 dungeon, GAWD it was hard XD. First boss is a right bitch, and a good gear check for the tank and ability check for the healer. Second boss is all about prioritizing and focusing down one mob of three in sequence, and last boss, while not a pushover, is a tank and spank with having to move into a safe zone every 30 seconds or so. Overall, a really impressive first blush at the instances of RIFT. A good group will clear in about 30-45 minutes depending on group build.

Terrace of the Faes: Very nice looking instance, but incredibly long. I think it took our (very well put together) group about 1.5 hours to clear, including two wipes on the final boss. Lots of (decently hard) bosses, lots of (decently easy) trash, balances out, and a few jokes in there for fun (although I think it was just for the beta). You fight your way up a mountainside in a zig-zag hedge maze, and kill stuff along the way. Yeah, it does deal with elves and faeries, but it didn't feel... what's the word... quaint? It felt like a serious, challenging instance. I liked it.


-PVP:

Okay, this is where RIFT, having mostly sold me, sealed the deal. I will say it straight out, I hate pvp. I go out of my way to AVOID pvp (and yet I play EvE, masochist I am...) in most games. Yet, in RIFT, it feels INCREDIBLY balanced, and this is the beta o_O. Ranged aren't overpowered, melee has some stuns but can't lock you, healers actually have armor so they aren't paper thin, and tanks can be useful (void knights especially because they can distract people from attacking a focused target).

The real clincher though is that it's FUN. Yes, Mr Anti-PvP, namely me, would actually QUEUE UP to fight in PVP for ENJOYMENT. I think I need to get my head checked, something must be wrong with me if I'm enjoying player vs player content o_O.

And, thankfully, there ARE dedicated PVP servers for those crazy enough to pvp all the time, and PVE servers for us normal folk :D


-Overall impressions:

Trion Worlds has done the impossible. They promised, on paper, and you can read this pretty much anywhere on the net, that they would release the game when ready and polished, not in a half done state and patch it up later. This last beta, in the words of MANY that were playing it, felt better than the release of many current MMOs.

We had players from (can't say name of game), DCUO, EvE (quite a few of us, actually), LotRO, Runes of Magic, Allods, Vanguard, Age of Conan, et al so on. The guild I was in for Guardian side, about 70 players strong, also had a guy that is (still) playing EverQuest (1, not 2). While there were many end-of-beta arguments of which game would be the most worthwhile to go back to (EvE ftw >_>), there was a general consensus that RIFT felt like a release product, and had an interstellar amount of polish on the beta product. Not ONCE was I disconnected, nor did the server crash during the insane stress test (the devs opened THREE planar invasions at once to try to crash the servers), or, realistically, at any other time. It was smooth, well supported, low ping (my ping hovered at 60-80 the entire time, even in massive rift battles and large scale battlegrounds), and was an absolute gem of a beta to play in. Best beta ever? Methinks yes.


HOWEVER...


Not all was golden :cry:

-Pacing: In a word... while you level up at a decent rate, there are times that the world feels slow. Be it that you get some of the dreaded "do this bunch of quests in this area, come back, and get another bunch in the exact same area" quest lines, or the fact that there are some "cult quests" which direct you to do things but don't really tell you WHERE (caveat: I later found out that the cult story quests are actually "metaquests" that gain completion as you do the quests that feed into them, such as kill a specific rift mob during an invasion).

Also, until you get your mount (~15, because it's money limited, not skill limited), running between quests takes a good chunk of time. The devs said for Beta 7 they'll probably bump up the run speed about 5%, and that will make the entire WORLD of difference. It's just slow enough to be aggravating.

-Footholds:

This is a tricky subject. The rifts, themselves, are a gloriously fun thing to do solo. However, it is nearly impossible to do a foothold solo, unless you catch it RIGHT as it's forming. This is because a foothold keeps spawning combat groups, three or four mobs with a boss mob that takes a few people to take down. A couple of times, it got to the point that there were 20+ combat groups at a foothold and only three people there trying to fight it. To say we got our shit pushed in would be the understatement of the century.


-Graphics:

Are stunning. It's a beautiful, beautiful game... and it nearly made my graphics card explode. I started off playing it at high settings, like I do with games such as RoM and EvE... and I was getting 5 fps. I have a Core 2 Duo E8400, an HD4850 1 GB (my 4870 died a glorious death of artifacts and crushed dreams), and 4 GB DDR2-800 RAM. All in all, a very middle of the road enthusiast system. And RIFT, on high settings, made it beg for mercy.

Which is sad, because on high settings, it's gorgeous. Stunning vistas, very nice textures, great effects. On low, it's playable (I averaged 40-50 fps on the low setting), but doesn't look nearly as good (still much better than most offerings, but I digress). This is a game that can challenge performance and enthusiast level systems. This isn't so much a complaint, just an observation that you need to be aware that you might need to turn down some settings to get playable FPS levels.




In sum, I think that the best phrase I heard during the beta touches on everything I like about the game: "More of the same, but different." It's a familiar world of hotkeys, tab targetting, moving out of effects (or into beneficial ones), voluntary pvp, etc. It's fresh and new, however, in that it has a dynamic challenge system (rifts), multiple reward avenues (footholds, pvp, rifts, crafting, etc), and it's just hard enough that when you earn something, you really feel that you've earned that reward.

If I had to recommend the game, I would say that it's for the fantasy MMO player that enjoys a variety of quest types, likes a challenge, and enjoys both solo and group play.

My score for Beta 6 is:

7.5/10 (and I will be buying it)

[BigMass]

I personally don’t care if people like rift or not. If you like it, great. It’s about having fun after all. If you have fun, play it. I just find people aren’t critical enough anymore. Take movies for example. Last year Inception was a good movie, but it got way blow out of proportion because movies now a days are so shit that anything average or good is considered the best thing ever. People no longer have perspective. If inception came out in 1999 it would be considered just another decent flick. MMOs take so long to develop, are so few and far between and are mostly dog shit, that anything remotely playable is hailed as the new successor to World of Warcraft. Face it, the genre is stale and formulaic. No investor wants to take a risk making something new and innovative. What they want to do is re-create WoW, and that in itself is a concept destined to fail over and over again.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by BigMass
I personally don’t care if people like rift or not. If you like it, great. It’s about having fun after all. If you have fun, play it. I just find people aren’t critical enough anymore. Take movies for example. Last year Inception was a good movie, but it got way blow out of proportion because movies now a days are so shit that anything average or good is considered the best thing ever. People no longer have perspective. If inception came out in 1999 it would be considered just another decent flick. MMOs take so long to develop, are so few and far between and are mostly dog shit, that anything remotely playable is hailed as the new successor to World of Warcraft. Face it, the genre is stale and formulaic. No investor wants to take a risk making something new and innovative. What they want to do is re-create WoW, and that in itself is a concept destined to fail over and over again.

I'm going to, in a mature and sane way, argue against you here.

I think that there isn't much you can do to get away from WoW. It is the giant 800 lbs gorilla in the room. Runes of Magic was labelled a WoW clone. Allods Online was labelled a WoW clone. RIFT is labelled a WoW clone. However, if WoW did not exist, RIFT would be the game I would choose to play. You touched on the reason in your argument, namely that it is, to me, insanely fun to play. Hell, I even did pvp for fun in the beta, and I hate pvp, absolutely despise it. Blizzard pvp = bleeeeh. Trion Worlds pvp = this is actually enjoyable, yes I'd like to play some more.

I can't really put my finger on any one magic moment in RIFT that makes it or breaks it on the vs WoW front. I've left WoW for good, hence why I'm trying to look at games from a "if WoW didn't exist" angle. It's why I enjoy EvE so much (it's about as far from WoW as possible), and why I'm looking forward to TERA when it releases.

On another point, boiling it down to economics, it's that age old formula of time = money. If you feel you get good value for money while subscribed, then you keep subscribing. If the game turns out crap after a couple of months (cough Aion cough), then you cancel your sub and be done with it. I paid $50+$15 for Aion and I feel I only wasted about $5, because until I hit the 40's, I was having a great time.

[403Gemini]

I do agree BigMass that not a lot of developers are taking any big jumps or leaps into something new, but honestly, would you?

If a game comes out with a better class design (Amen to Necromancers finally being brought back into a game and done RIGHT) , looks graphically beautiful and is stable, it will get my attention.

Also I'd like to point out, we all know EQ1 came before WoW right...? It had health and mana bars, classes/races, and spells too... (In fact I still think its a better game than WoW ever will be lol).

Though, I do still enjoy EvE quite a bit, especially when the beyonders let me fly with them and shoot my missiles at shit lol

[snoop101]

Played Beta over the weekend. All I got to say is that its been a long time since I have been really addicted to a MMO. I had to force myself to go to bed every morning. Im going to pre order the CE today.

On a side note I was told that some of the people that helped create Warhammer online and WOW worked on this game. Thats why you see a lot of different things that remind you of both games.

[Wraith]

I played "beta" 5 and 6 (it's pretty polished for a beta).

- Class customization in this game is amazing.

- Rifts are fun but I can see them becoming repetitive, there isn't a whole lot of variaton. A rift is a rift is a rift...

- Animations seem really stiff (especially after playing WoW for so long)

- Sanctum and Meridian are underwhelming

- Appears to be poorly optimized

- Didn't like PVP as much as Vagabond... It almost always ended up with one team camping the other

- Dungeons are a refreshing challenge

I'm done with MMOs for now, they are all much of the same. If anything, GW2 looks promising.

(If anyone wants a 20% off code for direct2drive.com PM me, you get 20% off and I get some credit. Win win)

[Skyline_Addict]

Can I create a hot asian chick with big boobs? This will be the determining factor in trying this game.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict
Can I create a hot asian chick with big boobs? This will be the determining factor in trying this game.

Ummm... not sure XD

I do know that I played an Eth and a Methosian (both human types) and made them tan, but dunno if that'd count as "asian."


Wraith: To each their own. I'm looking for a game to fill in the time when I get a bit burned out on EvE (like this past week, I got a LOT of writing for my website done and also got the RIFT beta in), and RIFT fits in nicely. Granted, I'll also have Dragon Age 2 to play, but that, I can take my time with as it's not a subscription game XD

[snoop101]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict
Can I create a hot asian chick with big boobs? This will be the determining factor in trying this game.

You want Aion then.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by snoop101


You want Aion then.

I would rather blowtorch my testicles off than play Aion again, just so people understand how much I regret buying that game (now. At the time, it was fun! (the game, not torching testicles))

[snoop101]

Originally posted by Vagabond142


I would rather blowtorch my testicles off than play Aion again, just so people understand how much I regret buying that game (now. At the time, it was fun! (the game, not torching testicles))

I played it again last month. Its not that bad, just not my cup of tea. But wow the chicks are hot.

(I also played the day it was released.)

[Vagabond142]

http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/09/enter-at-your-own-rift-dispelling-the-wowhammer-myth/

great article for those that are constantly bitching about the WoWWarhammer similarities XD

[403Gemini]

I think what blew my mind between beta 5 and beta 6 were the small subtle changes that the COMMUNITY suggested. Ie. Party organizer for Rifts wasn't in Beta 5 so everybody tried zerging the mobs , well it was tough when the elite mobs would crush a tank without healing - HOWEVER in Beta 6 they came out with the party organizer.

If they keep this up and listening to the community, the game will be amazing. I actually like the idea of puzzles throughout the world as well. Its funny with WoW i was flying aroudn in the new zones and looking at some of the old zones i used to level in back in vanilla at level 20-30... and man did I miss the exploration of going into ogre caves with a group of friends... I cant wait to explore this game.

[Vagabond142]

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN THE GAME:

February 15th = Open beta. All you need do is sign up for it, and they are apparently just giving the keys away like free candy. Sign up and get one, download and install the client, and wait for the 15th :thumbsup:

here be the link:

http://www.riftgame.com/en/beta/index.php

it will be a full 6 day beta, and then 3 days after it closes is pre-start for preorder people :)

[Vagabond142]

On the subject of the Devs talking with the customers... well, prime example of how feedback shapes the game:

http://forums.riftgame.com/showthread.php?61579-Post-Beta-6-On-Rifts-Raids-PvP-and-Damage%E2%80%A6

[Ruggzy_McTuggz]

Glad to hear it is getting good reviews. WIsh I would have pre-ordered a month ago, have been off work awaiting surgery and could have tested out beta 6 heh. Open beta starts on the day of my surgery :( lol

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by Ruggzy_McTuggz
Glad to hear it is getting good reviews. WIsh I would have pre-ordered a month ago, have been off work awaiting surgery and could have tested out beta 6 heh. Open beta starts on the day of my surgery :( lol

Believe me, I know how that goes. Been in that situation a couple of times (ill and something releases). However, put it into perspective... it's better to be healthy and miss a beta, than to be ill and able to play it. Health first, dude :D

[Vagabond142]

Just reminding those interested that the FINAL beta starts tomorrow.

[Vagabond142]

and the servers are up :D

[teknical]

Didn't get a chance to sign up until now. Hopefully I'll still be able to get in ;)

EDIT: I'm in! I'll be on tonight after work :D

[Vagabond142]

Yeah, this is the open beta, I think they're just flat out approving every testing app :P From what they've said in game so far, the dev's want to load the servers as much as possible for stress testing and dungeon testing, as well as fine tuning the dynamics of the rifts system :)

[Vagabond142]

My Cleric (my pvp toon for this beta, as I'm going to be focusing on battleground pvp and quality testing quests/spells/storylines/etc in pve). This is also on the LOWEST graphics setting, as I dont like system lag in my pvp :P

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk13/Vagabond142/2011-2-15_18427.jpg

[SmAcKpOo]

The game is garbage and boring.

I've been playing since the 2nd beta and I still feel this way.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
The game is garbage and boring.

I've been playing since the 2nd beta and I still feel this way.

I feel the complete and utter opposite. It's fun, dynamic, engaging, and challenging. Definite recommend from me :D

Please elaborate on WHY you feel it's garbage and boring. Back up your statements with evidence :D

[teknical]

So I managed to get the Beta installed last night and played for probably a good 20 minutes before I had to shut it off. It reminds me too much of World of Warcraft and since WoW has been the same game for nearly 5 years, I'll be passing on RIFT.

Bring on Knights of the Old Republic! :whipped:

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by teknical
So I managed to get the Beta installed last night and played for probably a good 20 minutes before I had to shut it off. It reminds me too much of World of Warcraft and since WoW has been the same game for nearly 5 years, I'll be passing on RIFT.

Bring on Knights of the Old Republic! :whipped:

So you only did a tiny bit of the starting area -___-

I encourage you to try again. Don't think of WoW when playing it.

IT. IS. NOT. WOW.

It may be SIMILAR, yes, but once you get into the gigantic zone wide invasions where everything is going to hell, then you'll get the full Rift experience :D If you don't like it after that, fair enough :) I would say give it two to four hours of play. That'll get you to level 8-10 and into the lowlevel zone, and an invasion happens once or twice every hour during beta (minor ones) with a major one (big zone wide fuckover) every 2-3 hours.

EDIT: And on the subject of TOR: it's going to play EXACTLY like WoW. Target, lock on, press button, get goodies. The only difference is the skin over it and the fact that it's going to have a KILLER story (BioWare = gods of story). Otherwise, any fantasy (and most sci-fi) MMOs will play like WoW. That's because WoW perfected the interface.

The only real "revolutions" in control and feel come from DCUO (semi-action), Vindictus (lock on, manual attack) and TERA (no lock, manual attack, manual dodge/block/move)

Don't mean to sound like I'm chomping on yer ass, it just gets tiring reading all the shit in the chat channels (pretty much a constant RIFT vs WoW argument, 24/7)

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by teknical
So I managed to get the Beta installed last night and played for probably a good 20 minutes before I had to shut it off. It reminds me too much of World of Warcraft and since WoW has been the same game for nearly 5 years, I'll be passing on RIFT.

Bring on Knights of the Old Republic! :whipped:

You're not going to like KOTOR anymore than... from what I understand it's a grind fest filled with kill & fed-ex quests.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
I think what blew my mind between beta 5 and beta 6 were the small subtle changes that the COMMUNITY suggested. Ie. Party organizer for Rifts wasn't in Beta 5 so everybody tried zerging the mobs , well it was tough when the elite mobs would crush a tank without healing - HOWEVER in Beta 6 they came out with the party organizer.

If they keep this up and listening to the community, the game will be amazing. I actually like the idea of puzzles throughout the world as well. Its funny with WoW i was flying aroudn in the new zones and looking at some of the old zones i used to level in back in vanilla at level 20-30... and man did I miss the exploration of going into ogre caves with a group of friends... I cant wait to explore this game.


Sorry to quote the huge post, but here's a follow up that is EXACTLY how an MMO company should do things: allow fansite operators to have open communication meetings, bringing questions voted on by their respective communities, and being open and frank about it. If anything, this just bolsters my opinion that Trion is at the level of CCP, namely they listen voraciously to their community (although with CCP it's a player-elected council doing the representation vs fansite operators)

http://www.riftpodcast.com/blog/2011/02/14/trions-rift-communication-and-honesty-a-refreshing-experience.html

[BigMass]

Originally posted by 403Gemini


You're not going to like KOTOR anymore than... from what I understand it's a grind fest filled with kill &amp; fed-ex quests.

it's wow in space with elements of Mass Effect thrown in. Nothing revolutionary and exciting. Great if you like on-rails hand holding from zero to hero. Count me out of that hype train

[BigMass]

Originally posted by Vagabond142



Sorry to quote the huge post, but here's a follow up that is EXACTLY how an MMO company should do things: allow fansite operators to have open communication meetings, bringing questions voted on by their respective communities, and being open and frank about it. If anything, this just bolsters my opinion that Trion is at the level of CCP, namely they listen voraciously to their community (although with CCP it's a player-elected council doing the representation vs fansite operators)

http://www.riftpodcast.com/blog/2011/02/14/trions-rift-communication-and-honesty-a-refreshing-experience.html

I think the greater point is that Rift would have been awesome… 7 years ago. At this stage, for any real gamer that has been grinding MMOs since EQ1, we want something new. If box sales from 12 year old kids is all you want that’s cool. Make money, buy gold fronts and drive around in your Zonda but don’t expect me to be impressed and excited about the same old shit. We can talk about details all you want but I’m more focused on the bigger over-all picture.

[calgarydub]

Lots of complainers in here.

Are there any MMO's that satisfy some of you?

I don't see how mmo's can avoid looking like WoW while giving players something that is a familiar experience.

From what I have seen, swtor looks like a really fun game. I will play it just because KoToR was so good, everything else is just a bonus.

In my opinion, it is far beyond a WoW clone reskinned. Companions, ships, story, space combat, dynamic war zones, voice over, flexible game engine. Just a list off the top of my head of things that wow doesn't have. Might I also mention its STAR WARS.

Everytime I come in a MMO thread it's the same people complaining about the latest MMO. What's the deal?

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by calgarydub


Everytime I come in a MMO thread it's the same people complaining about the latest MMO. What's the deal?

It's the internet, where everyone thinks their opinion matters (and yeah, i just blasted myself there too)

[Skyline_Addict]

He only thing that will make an mmorpg exciting is for it to be virtual reality and if you die in the game, you die in real life.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict
He only thing that will make an mmorpg exciting is for it to be virtual reality and if you die in the game, you die in real life.

"I know kung fu..."

:D

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by BigMass


I think the greater point is that Rift would have been awesome… 7 years ago. At this stage, for any real gamer that has been grinding MMOs since EQ1, we want something new. If box sales from 12 year old kids is all you want that’s cool. Make money, buy gold fronts and drive around in your Zonda but don’t expect me to be impressed and excited about the same old shit. We can talk about details all you want but I’m more focused on the bigger over-all picture.

Heh, it's funny, I actually want things to go BACK to how EQ1 was done. I miss REQUIRING a group to level. Where you HAD to be in a group from mid to late levels to gain xp. It really built the community and taught players how to play their class. You could just walk up to any group farming mobs and say "Got room for 1 more?" and you'd get an invite, no questions asked. In WoW when people were camping a mob to kill you'd ask "Anybody want to group to kill this guy" and nobody would answer and everybody would try and do it themselves :rolleyes: . I miss MMO's having a community and making friends just randomly instead of relying on falling into a guild. I miss using my friends list because I didnt need a guild to have fun.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by 403Gemini


Heh, it's funny, I actually want things to go BACK to how EQ1 was done. I miss REQUIRING a group to level. Where you HAD to be in a group from mid to late levels to gain xp. It really built the community and taught players how to play their class. You could just walk up to any group farming mobs and say &quot;Got room for 1 more?&quot; and you'd get an invite, no questions asked. In WoW when people were camping a mob to kill you'd ask &quot;Anybody want to group to kill this guy&quot; and nobody would answer and everybody would try and do it themselves :rolleyes: . I miss MMO's having a community and making friends just randomly instead of relying on falling into a guild. I miss using my friends list because I didnt need a guild to have fun.

For the Guardian side, at least, when you get to the latter half of Gloamwood (Overwatch Keep) (26-27), you kind need to group up because the enemies there are tightly packed and hit like a ton of bricks, each. You CAN so solo it, but it takes half a day to do XD Cautious pulls, inching past packs... tense stuff :P (and I play an armored caster (Cleric: Cabalist/Inquisitor/Purifier) on Guardian side o_O)

Haven't had that yet on Defiant side :\

[Skyline_Addict]

Originally posted by 403Gemini


Heh, it's funny, I actually want things to go BACK to how EQ1 was done. I miss REQUIRING a group to level. Where you HAD to be in a group from mid to late levels to gain xp. It really built the community and taught players how to play their class. You could just walk up to any group farming mobs and say &quot;Got room for 1 more?&quot; and you'd get an invite, no questions asked. In WoW when people were camping a mob to kill you'd ask &quot;Anybody want to group to kill this guy&quot; and nobody would answer and everybody would try and do it themselves :rolleyes: . I miss MMO's having a community and making friends just randomly instead of relying on falling into a guild. I miss using my friends list because I didnt need a guild to have fun.


ya, but kill stealing a respawn with 2 people in my party when it was suggested for 5 was awesome. especialy when the group of 5 was standing there for a long time and we just got there. got so many nice private tells. lol.

[403Gemini]

I can't remember the last time WoW had a kill quest that said "recommend 5 people" and you actually needed 5 people... I'd have to say that one dude at the alter in hellfire penninsula in burning crusade. Everything in Wrath and Cata I was able to solo alone as a paladin, druid, priest, or warlock.

[Skyline_Addict]

it's true. rarely did you need the suggested number, epsecially as a hybrid class.

hunter + priest questing together was fun and fast. i was so good at ninja'ing quest mobs. probably the most fun I had in wow.

[Quiet10]

Tried this last night on my friend's computer and I must say that it is pretty well polished... I like that the gameplay feels "WoWish" because that just means as a WoW player the learning curve is a lot lower with regards to the movement and controls... Graphics are stunning and the soul system is really interesting too. Too bad I play on a MBP so I can't get this? :/

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by Quiet10
Tried this last night on my friend's computer and I must say that it is pretty well polished... I like that the gameplay feels &quot;WoWish&quot; because that just means as a WoW player the learning curve is a lot lower with regards to the movement and controls... Graphics are stunning and the soul system is really interesting too. Too bad I play on a MBP so I can't get this? :/

That's what you get for using a mac :P

In all honesty, I'm not sure if there will be a Mac release. There isn't anything on Steam about it being a SteamPlay title (meaning it would work on both OS's)

[Vagabond142]

So, beta 7 winds down in a few hours. I think this has been a great beta. Looking forward to the preplay :D

[FivE.SeveN]

Played beta, got used to it really quickly. Very similar to wow controls and stuff (char sheet, etc). Had fun.

Went to read the wow forums out of morbid curiosity, found tons of childish fanboy crap "LOLOL QUIT NOONE MISSES YOU".

Fuck wow and it's pathetic excuse for a 'community', I'm in.

[403Gemini]

I didnt play this beta at all ;) I want the game to feel 100% new and fresh. I got a guy up to level 10 on beta 5.

Can't wait for launch day!

[Carl64]

So since there seems to be a few of us on here... what race/server type is everyone looking to play?

I was hoping to find a decent Alberta/Canada guild on a PVP server.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by Carl64
So since there seems to be a few of us on here... what race/server type is everyone looking to play?

I was hoping to find a decent Alberta/Canada guild on a PVP server.

I'll be on a PVE server... beyond that qualifier, i dunno yet

[SmAcKpOo]

I am still up in the air about this game. The biggest turn off for me is the lack of a dungeon queue system.

I really just don't know if it will be worth it.

[Vagabond142]

If it means anything to anyone, Trion just broke 1 million registered accounts for RIFT. Granted, that doesn't mean 1 million PLAYERS or boxes sold or anything... it just means 1 million+ people have accounts capable of becoming paying accounts :thumbsup:

[FivE.SeveN]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
I am still up in the air about this game. The biggest turn off for me is the lack of a dungeon queue system.

I really just don't know if it will be worth it.

This is actually the best thing for me. I remember back in the early wow days when you actually had to interact with people on your server. :) And if you were a douche, you got blacklisted pretty damn fast. The game's now full of inconsiderate cunts that steal, cuss out everyone/act like children, and then just leave with no consequences at all -- and I blame it all on the "wonderful" LFG system.

Really looking forward to a return to decency with rift.. I'm so tired of mouthy MMO kids spouting off without consequence. I think it's gonna be great.

[Vagabond142]

Worldwide, they've added 10 servers o_O and it's not even launch day XD

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by FivE.SeveN


This is actually the best thing for me. I remember back in the early wow days when you actually had to interact with people on your server. :) And if you were a douche, you got blacklisted pretty damn fast. The game's now full of inconsiderate cunts that steal, cuss out everyone/act like children, and then just leave with no consequences at all -- and I blame it all on the &quot;wonderful&quot; LFG system.

Really looking forward to a return to decency with rift.. I'm so tired of mouthy MMO kids spouting off without consequence. I think it's gonna be great.

Agree. I loathed the dungeon finder in WoW... way to ruin the community and promote ninja looting.

[403Gemini]

So what server we all on? I'm on Aedraxis as a defiant

[Vagabond142]

I decided to finish the preorder deposit on DA2 instead of picking up RIFT right away. Yeah, I know it's in preplay now, but I'll probably pick it up mid-March, so that they can iron out the server bugs (if any) or balance bugs (if any) for launch :D Been through enough game launches to know the big bugs get fixed in the first week :P

That said, I will be playing Defiant on Gnarlwood

[Carl64]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
So what server we all on? I'm on Aedraxis as a defiant

I'm going to roll a toon tonight or sometime this weekend, never got around to it yesterday.

Whats your name? I'll roll on Aedraxis.

[403Gemini]

Cryage, playing with another one of my buddies on there. I'm a cleric (I unlocked all of my souls last night when I hit 13 lol).

My friend is playing a necromancer/warlock. i'm mostly going Inquisitor/Sentinel & 2nd spec is Sentinel / Warden

[Skrilla]

So where do you go about dl'ing this beta? Id love to try it out.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by Skrilla
So where do you go about dl'ing this beta? Id love to try it out.

Betas are over. It's in launch preplay, and launches officially on March 1.

[Skrilla]

so correct me if im wrong but if I buy it now I can play it now? head start or some shit..or is that over?

And if so do your characters remain when it launches?

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by Skrilla
so correct me if im wrong but if I buy it now I can play it now? head start or some shit..or is that over?

And if so do your characters remain when it launches?

If you preorder it online, yes, you can jump right in. I think all the physical retail store "vip codes" needed for prestart are gone. Your best bet would be Steam.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/39120/?snr=1_4_4__13

And yes, these are official servers, so characters remain. This is "live," although the official launch is on the 1st

[Skrilla]

ok great thanks :thumbsup: now to get this or wait for gw2 :dunno:

[Wraith]

GW2 doesn't even have a release date yet :( so if you need an MMO to play until then this would be it.

Direct2drive.com also has 15% off for the weekend

[Skrilla]

Originally posted by Wraith
GW2 doesn't even have a release date yet :( so if you need an MMO to play until then this would be it.

Direct2drive.com also has 15% off for the weekend

Ya would just hate to try and play 2....well I will give it a shot and see, whats the harm in that :nut:

[SmAcKpOo]

vega, if I get the collectors edition cant I start playing now?

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
vega, if I get the collectors edition cant I start playing now?

No clue. If you preordered it at retail and got a vip code, then yeah, you can. If you did it online, then you should be able to as well.

[SmAcKpOo]

the trionworlds website says nothing about a headstart

https://www.riftgame.com/en/products/index.php

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
the trionworlds website says nothing about a headstart

https://www.riftgame.com/en/products/index.php

Two clicks deeper and:

http://www.riftgame.com/en/news/listings/02222011_head_start.php

Your internet is weak, young padawan :P

[Vagabond142]

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/51369/Rift_Endgame_Walkthrough__Greenscales_Blight_Zone/

^^^^^^^ Endgame raiding explained via video goodness :D

[Skrilla]

Cool game, but I find leveling slow..which for me sucks cause I limit myself to not play this everyday.

Any tips on leveling? I been playing since Saturday, twice and only level 16, people already talking about endgame means i must be waaaay behind.

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by Skrilla
Cool game, but I find leveling slow..which for me sucks cause I limit myself to not play this everyday.

Any tips on leveling? I been playing since Saturday, twice and only level 16, people already talking about endgame means i must be waaaay behind.

nah, you're not behind. People play at their own rates. Every game has the hardcores that race to endgame, and the casuals that take 2-3 months to make it to top level. And not everyone raids, the video is just there to show people what is there when they get there.

[Skrilla]

Ya, one thing that turned me off about WoW was if you did not play everyday it seemed you fell behind in content and gear. Hopefully this is not the same.

also rogues are a blast to play, but I am torn between keeping my NB or going a hunter build (ranger/MM)

Do you know where to get dual builds? And where to reset souls?

[403Gemini]

Keep in mind, if you choose rogue, you can unlock EVERY rogue class in the game. So if you feel like you choose a gimped build, you at level 13 you just visit your main city and speak to the class masters (Like for cleric i spoke to the sentinel and inquisitor guys first and did their quests and unlocked those classes).

And leveling slow... are you crazy? I've been playing a few hours a day and I'm level 25 already. I find there are ample quests to do, in fact i spend more of my time running around to RIFTS and getting XP that way that I out leveled the quests by about 5 levels , so I had to go back and do a bunch of green quests lol. You said so yourself, you played twice since Saturday and are already level 16 - level cap is 50 so you're doing quite good...

The game is very well done and once you get the hang of it, it becomes very versatile. It's a tad more complex than WoW with the class system but its WAY better and WAY more fleshed out.

[Skrilla]

By fast I mean I read people quite a few people are already 50 and done the 5 mans....that seems awful considering its been out a couple days.

Where can you purchase multiple builds? Like I was told you can switch between builds...

Is it better to do rifts and dungeons than quests?

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Skrilla
By fast I mean I read people quite a few people are already 50 and done the 5 mans....that seems awful considering its been out a couple days.

Where can you purchase multiple builds? Like I was told you can switch between builds...

Is it better to do rifts and dungeons than quests?

Like I said in my last post, go to your main city and look for that specific trainer. On your mini map there should be the quest giver icons all over the city and these are the people to speak to. So as a rogue, look for the assassin trainer, riftstalker trainer, marksman trainer, etc. of whatever you're looking for. He/She will give you a quest where you run out to any rift you see on your map, participate, and then after that rift is sealed you simply use the item in your bag and it summons an enemy the same level as you and you just beat it, run back into town and turn in the quest and BAM , new soul unlocked.

You can purchase multiple build slots from the rogue trainer directly (the person you upgrade your abilities from).

I have 3 builds purchased right now so I have a ranged dps, melee dps, and a heal spec.

As for whats fastest for leveling, i mix it up so I dont get bored. I join any instance group i see forming, I do every rift I can when I am running from quest to quest, and I do the quests essentially on my "downtime." (in between dungeons and rifts).

[Skrilla]

are the dungeons like WoW where you get summoned, or do you have to physically go there?

[403Gemini]

Basically the group forms up and and as soon as 1 member zones in , it prompts to summon you into the instance. So only 1 person has to get off their lazy ass and zone in ;)

[mago0]

so its been over 2 weeks and I'm still patiently waiting for a review. How are you guys liking it? Has the new game feeling worn off, and are you still having fun?

[Vagabond142]

I don't have the game yet. Giving it the "first month jump" so that they can get all the launch bugs worked out :D

[mago0]

thats exactly what I am doing. It's looking good so far. Ive been watching rift livestreams on jtv.

[PD77]

Great game so far, the randomness of the rifts keeps things fresh...especially when they stay open too long and the mobs start to spill across the map haha.

[Skrilla]

quit playing it after about a week or so....wasn't bad, just not for me I guess. One thing I did like was the Rift's, it made you feel like you were raiding even at a lowbie level, was different. Would be a nice alternative to people who are tired of the cookie cutter mmo (wow, eq, lotro etc)

Anyways, you have to try it out for yourself and see, everyone's opinion is different.

[SmAcKpOo]

I made it to level 20 and haven't played since. I found it a grind fest.

[403Gemini]

I got to level 33 and im waiting for my buddy to catch up, hes level 26 now... dunno haven't played in a week and I don't miss it... it's weird maybe I'm just tired of MMO's?

[teknical]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
I got to level 33 and im waiting for my buddy to catch up, hes level 26 now... dunno haven't played in a week and I don't miss it... it's weird maybe I'm just tired of MMO's?

^this is me. I got to level 5 in the beta and was completely bored with it. But I also haven't logged into WoW for probably 3 weeks to a month. Time for a break from MMOs. I've been playing alot of Starcraft II, patiently waiting for the Diablo III beta to start :angel:

[SmAcKpOo]

My biggest piss off with games right now is that EVERYTHING requires other people and most of those people suck shit. I have quit League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, WoW, Rift, and SC2 because of it. Diablo3 won't require anyone to finish the game with so I am totally stoked for it.

[403Gemini]

With D3 being a blizzard product, you can imagine we'll be holding our breaths for a long time though ;)

[teknical]

It'll be released this year. I'm just not sure if they will release it before Blizzcon or after. Heart of the Swarm is suppose to be out this year also.

The demo was awesome at Blizzcon! I just want to play more then 5 minutes :banghead:

[Skrilla]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
I got to level 33 and im waiting for my buddy to catch up, hes level 26 now... dunno haven't played in a week and I don't miss it... it's weird maybe I'm just tired of MMO's?

agree 100%, it seems so much more time consuming now than ever before....that's one thing I hated about WoW, is if you took a little time off, or took your time you fell behind to where you couldn't get into any raids/pvp etc..

time for a change.

[Vagabond142]

Just a little bump, still don't have the game, but I do know via twitter, FB, and blog sites that the first "big patch" hit today, Update 1.1 :D So for those that own it, might as well log in and update it :P

[Vagabond142]

Wow, long time no update to this thread XD I'm back in the game a couple of weeks now, been playing super casually, rocking some PvP and otherwise just doing the world event. It's quite a good game to just come on and unwind over an hour or two doing fun shit after a long day at work :D

I have a level 50 Inquisitor cleric that I like to melt faces with :D

[Vagabond142]

So I guess I'm the only one still playing -_-

(goes and searches for a Forever Alone pic with a Rift background) XD

[SmAcKpOo]

Dude, the game died a month after release....

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
Dude, the game died a month after release....

Such is the fate with most mmos it seems

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
Dude, the game died a month after release....

I tend to disagree. Meridian is packed most nights, Sanctum as well (for my Guardian alt). Raid rifts are competitive, ie we're racing other guilds to get them. The game is full of people levelling and lots of level 50's.

At least, that's the landscape on the Gnarlwood shard.