Neverwinter Online

[Tale]

No Warlock?

 

[Keyrock]

No Warlock?

 

Not yet, anyway.  They will be adding more classes, which classes, I'm not sure.  If I had to guess, I'd say an archer (likely ranger) would be next.  The game is severely lacking an archer right now.

[LadyCrimson]

Yeah, I was wondering about archers ... seems weird not to have a bow slinger in a game like this.

I keep staring at the race icon of "available soon!" or some such and wondering what that'll be, too.

[Bokishi]

I just finished plague tower, and sgt Knox will not give me new quests, where do I go to continue the quest line?

[Tale]

 

No Warlock?

 

Not yet, anyway.  They will be adding more classes, which classes, I'm not sure.  If I had to guess, I'd say an archer (likely ranger) would be next.  The game is severely lacking an archer right now.

 

I don't think I can be motivated to play until there's something like a Warlock or Chaos Sorcerer. Ooh, or Spellblade. Going with only the standard 4 seems very boring.

[Frisk]

I have been playing a bit for the past few days on Mindflayer (only got a lvl 18 cleric yet, though) - the experience is pretty much what I expected - overall the game feels a bit like a WoW clone - not quite as smooth, but at least it is free.

 

What surprised me a bit, though, are the various differences from D&D - sure, the regular stats are there, but hitpoints and everything else is changed - makes more sense that way for a non-turn-based game, maybe...just needed to adjust to it.

 

What annoys me most is that currently there is no language separation - it is annoying to end up in a group with french speakers and not understand a word of what they are talking about....but I guess that when the open beta is over and the game goes fully live there might be language-specific servers.

 

Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the Foundry - with the community-created quests - some of them surprisingly good.

[melkathi]

 

What annoys me most is that currently there is no language separation - it is annoying to end up in a group with french speakers and not understand a word of what they are talking about....but I guess that when the open beta is over and the game goes fully live there might be language-specific servers.

 

There isn't for their other games.

[Keyrock]

I'm getting ahead of the curve in the game.  I have a couple of quests left in the graveyard, but I'm not even going to bother doing them because I'm way too powerful for that area now (I could probably solo whatever the final dungeon is).  Similarly, I went to Helm Hold only to find that I'm already too powerful for that area, so I won't even bother doing anything there.  Straight to Ebon Downs for me then.

 

Edit:  As an aside, I laugh every time I open up the launcher and Chesty McCleric stares me in the face. 

Edited May 11, 2013 by Keyrock

[Serrano]

I'm getting ahead of the curve in the game.  I have a couple of quests left in the graveyard, but I'm not even going to bother doing them because I'm way too powerful for that area now (I could probably solo whatever the final dungeon is).  Similarly, I went to Helm Hold only to find that I'm already too powerful for that area, so I won't even bother doing anything there.  Straight to Ebon Downs for me then.

 

 

If you want a challenge you should try the Lair of the Mad Dragon dungeon, it's considerably tougher than anything else I've tried to do so far.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Serrano

[Humanoid]

Up to level 8, and probably nearing the end of my run with this. If I were to damn this game with faint praise I'll say this: It's like TOR without the player characterisation. I tolerated TOR because the character interaction at least allowed me to feel some sense of ownership despite the bland gameplay - in Neverwinter everyone is interchangable, mere cardboard cutouts. It's interesting because right at the start, in the first dialogue of the game, you actually do have some reasonable dialogue choice, but it disappears, literally, after the next NPC line.

 

The other problem is mechanical. As a rogue I'm not even sneaky - it's neither encouraged or even possible to sneak around when stealth is just a 5 second duration "reposition in combat" ability. Sure, the combat may be a bit better, but that doesn't make it *good*, it's the same TOR experience where you do nothing but methodically clear out group after group of 2-4 foes even if all you want to do is to get from point A to point B. (Yes, I know TOR has actual stealth, but it's so impractical as anything but a combat opener due to the unfortunate virtual requirement of dragging a companion around)

 

I mean WoW actually has pretty solid stealth mechanics. I used to be able to skulk around, assassinate key targets, often disabling their escorts, then escape to the shadows with careful planning and judicious use of skills - especially back in the vanilla days. Yet WoW classes are accused of being generic when we have counterexamples like the above two games where stealth is little but a novelty if not a pure combat mechanic.

 

Maybe I was expecting too much, but at the moment NW is failing as a game in the two most important metrics - in terms of the MMOs I've played, the worst of both worlds.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Humanoid

[BruceVC]

Up to level 8, and probably nearing the end of my run with this. If I were to damn this game with faint praise I'll say this: It's like TOR without the player characterisation. I tolerated TOR because the character interaction at least allowed me to feel some sense of ownership despite the bland gameplay - in Neverwinter everyone is interchangable, mere cardboard cutouts. It's interesting because right at the start, in the first dialogue of the game, you actually do have some reasonable dialogue choice, but it disappears, literally, after the next NPC line.

 

The other problem is mechanical. As a rogue I'm not even sneaky - it's neither encouraged or even possible to sneak around when stealth is just a 5 second duration "reposition in combat" ability. Sure, the combat may be a bit better, but that doesn't make it *good*, it's the same TOR experience where you do nothing but methodically clear out group after group of 2-4 foes even if all you want to do is to get from point A to point B. (Yes, I know TOR has actual stealth, but it's so impractical as anything but a combat opener due to the unfortunate virtual requirement of dragging a companion around)

 

I mean WoW actually has pretty solid stealth mechanics. I used to be able to skulk around, assassinate key targets, often disabling their escorts, then escape to the shadows with careful planning and judicious use of skills - especially back in the vanilla days. Yet WoW classes are accused of being generic when we have counterexamples like the above two games where stealth is little but a novelty if not a pure combat mechanic.

 

Maybe I was expecting too much, but at the moment NW is failing as a game in the two most important metrics - in terms of the MMOs I've played, the worst of both worlds.

 

Ouch, so can we assume its not going to get your vote for Best MMO of 2013?

[Humanoid]

Ah, I'm not so unprofessional as to give it a final score based on a beta test. But neither am I going to play it again, so.... I dunno, what's the competition this year?

 

 

In a few monthsyears we may see some rockin' user made content that'll make it a winner, but safe to say that content won't be made by anyone associated with Cryptic, I suspect.

[Drowsy Emperor]

I was bored as well. There's nothing to make the game special or different from other MMO's. Its a game for those that absolutely must play a DnD MMO on account of the license, but otherwise its hard to recommend. 

[Monte Carlo]

I just can't get into MMOs, admittedly I only tried Rift and clocked up about forty hours in it.

 

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, I just couldn't *love* it.

[Drowsy Emperor]

I know what you mean.

 

However, I'm somewhat interested in CCP's World of Darkness MMO. They're promising less combat and more politicking.

 

I suspect that MMO's could be fantastic games, really some of the best ever made if the focus wasn't constantly on the statistics and combat.

They'd have to be both complex and thematically mature (not in a **** and gibs way) - in other words slightly boring - to drive away all the juveniles too. And constantly policed as well.

 

Its just not likely to happen considering how much more expensive they are to make.

[Keyrock]

 

I'm getting ahead of the curve in the game.  I have a couple of quests left in the graveyard, but I'm not even going to bother doing them because I'm way too powerful for that area now (I could probably solo whatever the final dungeon is).  Similarly, I went to Helm Hold only to find that I'm already too powerful for that area, so I won't even bother doing anything there.  Straight to Ebon Downs for me then.

 

 

If you want a challenge you should try the Lair of the Mad Dragon dungeon, it's considerably tougher than anything else I've tried to do so far.

 

A few issues with that:

 

1) It's now too low level for me (I could still enter, but I'd have to find my own group).

2) It seems it's super hard to get the right mix for that dungeon via queue.  At appropriate level, going through that run without a healer and a tank is suicide, and the queue always seemed to pair me up with rogues, wizards, and more GFWs.

3) I'm not a big fan of dungeons, anyway.  They're really time consuming.  I only really do them to get astral diamonds for the daily dungeon from Rhix.  Now that Mad Dragon Lair is no longer eligible for that for me, there's no chance I'll be going back in there.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Keyrock

[Rosbjerg]

So I'm trying too, found the channel om Mindflayer.. Hope to see some of you online.

 

I know what you mean.

 

However, I'm somewhat interested in CCP's World of Darkness MMO. They're promising less combat and more politicking.

 

I suspect that MMO's could be fantastic games, really some of the best ever made if the focus wasn't constantly on the statistics and combat.

They'd have to be both complex and thematically mature (not in a **** and gibs way) - in other words slightly boring - to drive away all the juveniles too. And constantly policed as well.

 

Its just not likely to happen considering how much more expensive they are to make.

 

A Danish company was making a game that would've rocked.. Seed: The Human condition - no clases, you played a on a damaged and crashed terraform ship on a hostile and toxic planet. The entire premise was handling the limited resources through communal decisions and trying to complete the game as a whole server together by either terraforming the planet, fixing the ship or finding a way to communicate with Earth to send rescue.

 

Lorewise they handled they idea of new players pretty well too - everyone played clones (how the planet was meant to be populated), produced by the malfunctioning ship, which kept shooting out new clones stressing the already limited resources - making it both easier and more difficult to play as more players came in.

[Monte Carlo]

 

 

The entire premise was handling the limited resources through communal decisions and trying to complete the game as a whole server together

 

How very Scandinavian. Was there down-time in a sauna, too?

[Drowsy Emperor]

And then it was cancelled.

 

This is why we can't have nice things.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Drowsy Emperor

[BruceVC]

And then it was cancelled.

 

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

Why don't you make your own MMO that has features like open PVP, complex PVE  and full loot penalties? It could be non-instanced and it should have several hundred end game options and\or raid challengers so that people don't get bored. I always get bored when I max my character level. I would support you with a subscription if you made this MMO?

[Blarghagh]

Day 3 log. Still haven't gotten past character creation.

[Monte Carlo]

Day 3 log. Still haven't gotten past character creation.

 

^ I love it already. Link?

[Keyrock]

Day 3 log. Still haven't gotten past character creation.

I want details.  I want exact descriptions of where you're putting every slider.

[LadyCrimson]

Up to level 8, and probably nearing the end of my run with this. If I were to damn this game with faint praise I'll say this: It's like TOR without the player characterisation. I tolerated TOR because the character interaction at least allowed me to feel some sense of ownership despite the bland gameplay - in Neverwinter everyone is interchangable, mere cardboard cutouts. It's interesting because right at the start, in the first dialogue of the game, you actually do have some reasonable dialogue choice, but it disappears, literally, after the next NPC line.

 

The other problem is mechanical. As a rogue I'm not even sneaky - it's neither encouraged or even possible to sneak around when stealth is just a 5 second duration "reposition in combat" ability. Sure, the combat may be a bit better, but that doesn't make it *good*, it's the same TOR experience where you do nothing but methodically clear out group after group of 2-4 foes even if all you want to do is to get from point A to point B. (Yes, I know TOR has actual stealth, but it's so impractical as anything but a combat opener due to the unfortunate virtual requirement of dragging a companion around)

 

I mean WoW actually has pretty solid stealth mechanics. I used to be able to skulk around, assassinate key targets, often disabling their escorts, then escape to the shadows with careful planning and judicious use of skills - especially back in the vanilla days. Yet WoW classes are accused of being generic when we have counterexamples like the above two games where stealth is little but a novelty if not a pure combat mechanic.

 

Maybe I was expecting too much, but at the moment NW is failing as a game in the two most important metrics - in terms of the MMOs I've played, the worst of both worlds.

I'm sorta feeling the same way, although less about character mechanics as the lack of variety in items. It's dull to open chests or have enemies drop loot. "Oh another chainmail with +10 more to defense." I've looked at the stuff you can currently craft and same thing. Zzzz. To me action rpg's are half about phat loot and the loot in Neverwinter is boring.

 

It's possible when you're lvl30+ or whatever it gets more interesting but I'm not motivated to keep going. I don't dislike the game and I still personally like the dungeons and stuff, but as a solo-runthru, early WoW had a lot more going for it that kept the interest up.

[Keyrock]

I'm sorta feeling the same way, although less about character mechanics as the lack of variety in items. It's dull to open chests or have enemies drop loot. "Oh another chainmail with +10 more to defense." I've looked at the stuff you can currently craft and same thing. Zzzz. To me action rpg's are half about phat loot and the loot in Neverwinter is boring.

 

 

It's possible when you're lvl30+ or whatever it gets more interesting but I'm not motivated to keep going. I don't dislike the game and I still personally like the dungeons and stuff, but as a solo-runthru, early WoW had a lot more going for it that kept the interest up.

 

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from.  I'm sick of sword after sword after sword after sword, and a bunch of scale mail and helms that look nearly identical.  From what I've read on their forums, they're working on introducing more item variety.  This is likely a case of limited in-game assets at this early beta stage leading to so many mirror image items.  Hopefully it gets rectified in the near future.