My first impression

[Morning]

I won't be buying the game. While the character creation is great, I've found it to be the best part of the game. It just doesn't do it for me. Plus, I have an 8800gt vid card (yes, I understand its somewhat dated, but still) and am surprised at how "not good" the game looks with it. But mainly, the gameplay just doesn't grab me. I'll be sitting this one out.

[Solostaran]

My reaction is very similar (although turning off comic outlines helps with the appearance), but I'll be continuing with the beta. It may get super-awesometastic at about level 20; who knows?

[Landro]

I still think this is going to do like AoC and WAR. The OB graphics were meh, and the meh-ness of the OB was very painful for the PC gear, but on release when everything was as it's supposed to be you could control more of the graphics and such making the games look completely different.

I understand the gameplay issue, that's what killed CoH for many, but this is not CoH...I can see that. Once you are out of the noob areas, the whole game, the world changes....CoH was basically the same map with different buildings lol...

This is huge.

I will make my final decision the last day of OB, pending no horrid disaster with the game by then....bu I feel I will stick with it as of now. My biggest issue is my characters. I have always wanted to be what I want. I wanted so many decisions that I get a migraine trying to figure out which one I want...this gives me that...my own Hero...not a set pattern of one...

[Balt]

After an hour or so of play I can say that I wasn't blown away. However, it seems solid enough that I'm likely to give it a go at release. Whether or not it has legs to be a long-term game is yet to be decided...for me, at least.

[Texicon]

I agree, I just dont know if there is enough to get me paying...or to take any time away from lotro.

I am following the path of I LOVE creating a new champion, and getting to around level 10. We shall see.

[ThaMan]

My daughter loves to create characters in these MMO's. This game will keep her satisfied for months, just creating characters then deleting them. hehe.

[Landro]

My daughter loves to create characters in these MMO's. This game will keep her satisfied for months, just creating characters then deleting them. hehe.

Yeah...right...your daughter....

You don't have to hide it from us. We know it's you. :diablotin:

[ThaMan]

It's funny. When we play Guild Wars, she sits down to play and the first thing she says is "I want to make a new char"

It's sorta cute, but tiresome ;)

[roland]

It's funny. When we play Guild Wars, she sits down to play and the first thing she says is "I want to make a new char"

It's sorta cute, but tiresome ;)

And you can be the good daddy and level with her :)

You know what, don't delete her new characters. Eventually, you can say "Sorry honey, we only have a certain number of character slots - and we used them all..."

HEHEHE

[ThaMan]

I showed her how to delete them already. I got tired of deleting them. She deleted one of my chars on WOW, and I had to have tech support restore it ;)

They did so without any of my money, but all my stuff.

[Joxer]

I won't be buying the game. While the character creation is great, I've found it to be the best part of the game. It just doesn't do it for me. Plus, I have an 8800gt vid card (yes, I understand its somewhat dated, but still) and am surprised at how "not good" the game looks with it. But mainly, the gameplay just doesn't grab me. I'll be sitting this one out.

I'm leaning the same way - it just doesn't seem all that interesting gameplay-wise. Also, I have a Quadro 2700, 8 gigs ram, Vista 64, and surprisingly the game just doesn't run all that well either and just doesn't look all that great. I'll still mess around in beta but I don't think I'd play it in live.

[Shadow]

For anyone who has been having issues with the look and feel of the game, disable the comic outline style in the video options. I don't remember the exact name of the effect, but it's down near the bottom of the advanced video options. Turning that off last night made a world of difference for me. I think the game looks much, much better now.

[Valoryn]

For anyone who has been having issues with the look and feel of the game, disable the comic outline style in the video options. I don't remember the exact name of the effect, but it's down near the bottom of the advanced video options. Turning that off last night made a world of difference for me. I think the game looks much, much better now.

Yeah, I did this and looks much better to me.

[Rofah]

...but I feel I will stick with it for at least two weeks

fixed that for ya ;)

[Landro]

fixed that for ya ;)

I don't know yet. A game has to grab me. This has done that sort of, my issue is the character creation....TOO MUCH...lol....

Though that is a good complaint :)

I just can't set down what I want exactly atm, in my hero. The one I have actually used is all PSI, which is very cool, but I don't like the look anymore. I want some stealthy, dark, face hidden except eyes, but atm he looks like a Woodstock sniper lol.

FFXI = almost 3 years, WoW = 2 years, LOTRO over a year.

[Shinzou]

I have made about six character and level them past 10 so far. I just can't get into it. I won't be buying the game.

The powerset system they use is very confusing. Well maybe not so much confusing as it is overwhelming. There are so many powersets and powers in each set that it is really hard to know what is better, and there are some powers that are completely useless in pretty much all aspects.

The single target powers are glaringly underpowered compared to aoes and cone attacks. It is bad when I can kill a single enemy faster with an aoe than I can with a single target attack. Not to mention the fact that a lot of aoe and cone attacks are actually more energy efficient than single target attacks. This makes very little sense.

Take electricity for example. At level 9 chain lightning can damage a single target for 40 damaged at a full charge, and can branch to other targets almost all the time. Lightning arch is a maintained single target that does 50-60 damage every 0.5 seconds to a single target and has a very rare change to branch to other targets. Sparkstorm is a full on aoe that hits everything around you within 15 feet for the same amount as lightning arch.

Now the problem with this is that I found it is pretty much the same for all powersets. They all have one or two main attacks that are by far better than anything else in the set, and you can get these powers all by level 15. After this there is nothing left to strive for and the gameplay becomes stagnant and boring from doing the same thing over and over. It is even worse in this game in that aspect than city of heroes.

It is like the fall of the sovient union. When there is no incentive or enjoyment for people to work on something, they don't. I don't see the player retention being very good if they don't change something.

[Landro]

Shinzou, what's funy is everything you mentioned are things I like.

I think the AoE powers are good how they are in the damage to power ratio. The "more experienced" you get as a hero, of course the more you learn to harness your power/powers, the more powerful, yet resourceful, they will become. Just my thought.

Honestly, I don't see any power at all useless, it's all about what you want. There are times I want a challenge so I make classes in other games, like Fallout 3, that are about as weak as a newborn kitten, just to see what I can do, but I am weird.

Last night in local chat I was talking about loving my ALL PSI hero, and LOVING Ego Weaponry. I was attacked by the WoW like people who think you have to play one way, their way or no way. So I challenged one to kill a mob next to me and see who wins. My Ego Weaponry won everytime, but once, that was due to a massive crit from Villian, while the other was attacking a Henchman. People saying PSI, "telepathy", was awful for DPS, yet I was able to take down 10 mobs without a rest, using my powers correctly, as they match my play-style, fast and without care :). I hit my PSI Lash, then start attacking. Anytime I stop using any other power my PSI Lash was refilling my energy, without having to activate again. I think the end of this game will be more about social grouping, saving the world and such. I kept seeing people saying wait until later a lot last night. I can't say what it is, but when I am online, this is like Fallout 3. I start and the next thing I know it's been a few hours. NO MMO has ever done that. I think too, I am pacing myself at the start. I just love playing a true super hero of my own creation. I really like the run-by attacks I do :) Just keep running toss off an attack without stopping just to confuse enemies :)

[Texicon]

All of the min/maxxers (and nothing wrong with this) will gravitate towards the AoE and cone being tons more powefull than single target abilities....and they are correct.

If Angry Afro has a full power meter I can take down as many = or +1 mobs as you can fit in front of me with one pull of my mini chain gun.

I think if you go the min/max route you will deffinately not enjoy this game as every character you make will be the same in the end. This is more of pick a path for your character, and enjoy that path (if you can).

[wooze]

I pre-ordered and have been playing since late thursday evening.

I like is so far. I haven't made it out of the levels 1-10 starting area yet. I spend way too much time creating characters and spending time in that "danger room" place testing stuff out.

[DethMstr]

Finally got off my backside and downloaded and installed the game.. wish I had done it early on as my kids love it also and I now hear the beta is ending tomorrow??? (Monday)

Guess I will be buying this one as my kids will not let me allow it to fade away.

[roland]

Yeah a quick note about the beta event.

preorder it and do the event that ends monday. if you "assist" in taking down a mega-destroid, you get a mini-destroid action figure for your characters.