DarkFall Online... *Sigh*

[AbeonTech]

Ok. Here's my rant / review.
So Yak got to me.

All that talk of greener pastures at DarkFall Online persuaded me to try it out.
Luckily for me, they have just started offering 7 day Trials. Each trial is €1 (£0.90 / $1.40 ish).
(No. I'm not affiliated in anyway. Just found it and wanted to share the love )

There were a few reasons I decided to try it out:

1 - I've hit level 20 on my main toon in DDO and level 15 ish on a few other toons
I'm starting to get a bit bored of running the same content on different toon with little or no variation on the final outcome.

2 - Housing is non-existant in DDO and the code / game style doesn't seem to permit it.
It's a big ask, but I think technically not possible in the current state DDO is in.

3 - The Guild system in DDO is just pathetic. It's essentially just another friends list.
There is no reason to be in a guild in DDO except for the guild chat and guild members online status updates.

4 - DDO's Crafting system is horrible. I don't see the point in running The Shroud 500 times for a Greensteal item I don't care about and makes you stupidly overpowered, except in the last 2% of the game.
If I wanted to trade collectables, I'd steal my little brother's Pokemon card collection -_-

5 - Need I go on?... World map is tiny, VIPs are getting less and less but charged more and more, some store items are WAY overpriced (hearts of wood etc), useless in-game support, useless out of game support, ranged archers are pointless, PVP is unbalanced.... *sigh*




I wasn't too sure what to expect when I played DarkFall, but was very surprised.

Gameplay is fast paced during solo combat but requires a lot more strategy during group battles.
Harvesting, crafting and other related tasks are a lot slower so you can play at your own speed.
Group PVP is the main staple of the game. But I found a, mainly, PVE clan within 2 hours of playing.
The downside is the use of a janky ruleset. Being so use to the D&D rules (and soup for brains) has meant it's taken a little longer to get use to, but it's based on fairly generic terms such as mana missile, eldritch blast etc.

Death is tough in DarkFall.
You can be attacked in every area of the game, except player houses... Which makes for fun hunting / gathering trips
My favourite part, so far, is the cost of death. If.... When you die, your corpse is lootable by anyone. No rez shrine, no buddie to carry your sorry butt home. Just a happy camper with all your gear. So hot foot it back to your grave to pick up your loot, without getting spanked again! But the happy camper with your loot may be waiting for you to return!

Graphics are great and there are a variety of mobs / animals to kill and play with.
Some of the wilderness is a little repetative, but it's still great looking.
Most buildings and structures are very unique in appearance with massive castles, villages in trees, wastelands etc.
The map is huge and takes about an hour to ride across (horseback) but has many towns, settlements and other points of interest to find.
There are no loading screens, which is refreshing!

Crafting is exactly that. Crafting.
You have to cut wood, then make timber, then add with other resources and refine into items.
You don't need to find X items in random chests to combine

Clans have shared banking which I think is the absolute minimum DDO should be adding in an upcoming update.
Housing is available for those lucky enough to find or grind it. You can own several types of property and invite friends to allow them access. You can also craft furniture and extensions etc




My review of some other MMOs, such as EVE Online and DarkFall Online, has opened my eyes.
All in all, I think DDO is a great game and don't dislike it.
I just believe it is missing a few basic requirements of a modern MMO.
I will be downgrading my account to Premium untill Turbine fixes a few issues and adds some content.

Come on Turbine.
In general, D&D players have a higher than average intelligence. We're nerds dammit.
Don't assume we will hang around after you dumb the game down for the masses or charge the VIPs for stuff that should be included in the subscription. -_-


-Rep away.

[Memnir]

Meh.
Not even worth the bother to neg rep you. So what if you prefer another game? If you have a preference for that game - go play it. But, don't hope for this game to change into that one. Enjoy each game for what it has, and don't dwell on what they don't.

[Sendoo]

Darkfall sucks its just a zergfest. if your not in a huge guild/alliance you get Graped by a bunch of guys grouped together like grapes on a vine.

[lutherl]

Sounds like Shadowbane 2.0. That was ok for the first month, then everything went south once one big ginormous guild was established on each server. Then, boring.

But really, why advertise for another game on this game's site? That's just...well...rude.

[Shassa]

Sounds like Shadowbane 2.0. That was ok for the first month, then everything went south once one big ginormous guild was established on each server. Then, boring.

But really, why advertise for another game on this game's site? That's just...well...rude.

I also think it sounds a bit like Shadowbane. As for your second point... what I interpret from his post is that he really wants to see DDO include more content because he doesn't really want to leave. The forums are a natural choice for this.

As for this new game, I dislike PVP strongly so I will avoid it like the plague. I not only don't like getting ambushed by other players, I also don't like being the attacker. Not for MMOs. It feels too much like griefing to me.

Regarding some of his complaints, there are some valid ones. In particular for me, crafting is very underdeveloped. There isn't enough to do in general outside of grinding quests. I've already gone into this though, so I'll leave it at that. Anyway, it's absolutely true that there are some improvements needed by the game that have gone by for years without being addressed. So much so that I see vets expressing disappointment that they aren't even so much as acknowledged on these matters. Turbine does need to improve on this in order to retain as many of the new people as they can.

[MrWizard]

so in 7 days, you learned all about the new game from start to finish and have no negatives about it...

how long have you worked for them?
no one likes forum spamming.

I heard the game was a joke, the cost was stupid high and they have no content...

[ddaedelus]

Sounds too much like Shadowbane for my tastes. I'm not a PvPer. Thanks for the mini-review. I'll stay here.

And yeah, except for the inclusion of the mini rant, this really should be in Off Topic, not General

[Draccus]

Hey, zergfests can be fun. Some of the most fun I've had online were the massive keep-taking RVR zergs in DAOC.

What cracks me up about these posts is how people always talk about being tired of DDO's repetition. However, DDO is the least repeatitive of any MMO ever made (with the possible exception being UO).

At least in DDO, we run dungeons with different objectives. Sometimes we need to kill a boss, sometimes we need to solve a puzzle, sometimes we need to use a laser to fry a titan after knocking him over with pillars. We may repeat the QUESTS, but what we do in those quests varies dramatically.

In almost all other MMOs, you spend our entire time killing mobs over and over. They even call it "camping" because you spend so much time there.

At level 1, you kill enough level 1 mobs to get to level 2.
At level 2, you kill enough level 2 mobs to get to level 3.

Repeat to cap. It's the same thing. Pull, kill, rest, repeat. Blah...no thanks.

[ArichValtrahn]

Im with you on your ddo gripes but I refuse to play a game with corpse retrieval. I mean, have we not advanced at all since DIKU was released? Seriously?

[Shassa]

What cracks me up about these posts is how people always talk about being tired of DDO's repetition. However, DDO is the least repeatitive of any MMO ever made (with the possible exception being UO). At least in DDO, we run dungeons with different objectives. Sometimes we need to kill a boss, sometimes we need to solve a puzzle, sometimes we need to use a laser to fry a titan after knocking him over with pillars. We may repeat the QUESTS, but what we do in those quests varies dramatically.

In almost all other MMOs, you spend our entire time killing mobs over and over. They even call it "camping" because you spend so much time there.

I'm glad people like me crack you up.

I like how DDO throws in puzzles too. I like DDO in general. But you're splitting hairs trying to make the distinction between grinding levels and grinding quests. Tell me how grinding the shroud for months/years is not, in your words, "spending your entire time killing mobs over and over." You are basically camping a few different quests instead of spawn points.

I don't claim to have played every game under the sun. I have in the past played EQ2 and FFXI enough to tell you that although levelling is a main focus of each, as they are in all MMOs, that they have more diversionary content than DDO. Which is not hard considering that DDO basically has none.

[Draccus]

I'm glad people like me crack you up.

I like how DDO throws in puzzles too. I like DDO in general. But you're splitting hairs trying to make the distinction between grinding levels and grinding quests. Tell me how grinding the shroud for months/years is not, in your words, "spending your entire time killing mobs over and over." You are basically camping a few different quests instead of spawn points.

I don't claim to have played every game under the sun. I have in the past played EQ2 and FFXI enough to tell you that although levelling is a main focus of each, as they are in all MMOs, that they have more diversionary content than DDO. Which is not hard considering that DDO basically has none.

I think the difference is massive. You may not and that's fine. We can agree to disagree.

To me, repeating a quest with a variety of tasks is dramatically different from completing the same task over and over again.

Think about the different TASKS you complete in DDO vs. EQ/DAOC/WoW clones. I played each of those games to the level cap and can tell you that there was only ONE task in each of those games: kill monsters. I played an orc rogue in WoW and solo'd from 1 to 60 (or whatever the cap was) doing the exact same thing.

1. Run to area with mobs my level.
2. Shoot nearest mob with crossbow.
3. Autoattack mob until dead.
4. Sit and rest until full health.
5. Repeat.

I did that at level 5 the same way I did it at level 10 and the same way I did it at 30 and the same way I did it at 59. It Did. Not. Change.

Now, you can be naive and say something like "DDO is the same thing: Run quest, repeat to 20" but you're fooling yourself because "run quest" can mean so many different things. And that is what makes DDO fun to me. In EQ-clone games, there is no variety in killing mobs over and over. In fact, someone could probably list the actual keystrokes required to level in EQ-clone games...they are that simple.

[Thrudh]

Death is tough in DarkFall.
You can be attacked in every area of the game, except player houses... Which makes for fun hunting / gathering trips
My favourite part, so far, is the cost of death. If.... When you die, your corpse is lootable by anyone. No rez shrine, no buddie to carry your sorry butt home. Just a happy camper with all your gear. So hot foot it back to your grave to pick up your loot, without getting spanked again! But the happy camper with your loot may be waiting for you to return!

That game will fail unless there is way to opt out of PvP while walking down the street...

[Uska]

That game will fail unless there is way to opt out of PvP while walking down the street...

Well Darkfail is how it is really widely called

[Borror0]

That game will fail unless there is way to opt out of PvP while walking down the street...

I'm aware that it's a three months old post but I want to comment on that post: an hardcore PvP game like this one can be successful for, for as long as it has a main PvP focus, low maintenance cost, and is designed to appeal to PvP players exclusively. Higher than average subscription fee is probably advisable too.

Basically, it can work if it is designed to appeal to a small niche, is aware of it and does not try to appeal to other types of players.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

Wow, you really convinced me that Darkfall is a game to avoid at all costs unless you have Zombie mush for brains.

[Uska]

I tried it quite awhile back and it was so full of exploits and bugs that you couldnt pay me enough to play it.

[Bosco]

My review of some other MMOs, such as EVE Online and DarkFall Online, has opened my eyes.
All in all, I think DDO is a great game and don't dislike it.
I just believe it is missing a few basic requirements of a modern MMO.

The only requirement of a mmo should be keeping its players entertained. If DDO isn't doing that for you, you should go somewhere else.

Thanks for the review, DarkFall sounds extremely lame. Still waiting til 2011 for SWTOR.

[Heffty_Smurf]

Ok. Here's my rant / review.
So Yak got to me.

All that talk of greener pastures at DarkFall Online persuaded me to try it out.
Luckily for me, they have just started offering 7 day Trials. Each trial is €1 (£0.90 / $1.40 ish).
(No. I'm not affiliated in anyway. Just found it and wanted to share the love )

There were a few reasons I decided to try it out:

1 - I've hit level 20 on my main toon in DDO and level 15 ish on a few other toons
I'm starting to get a bit bored of running the same content on different toon with little or no variation on the final outcome.

2 - Housing is non-existant in DDO and the code / game style doesn't seem to permit it.
It's a big ask, but I think technically not possible in the current state DDO is in.

3 - The Guild system in DDO is just pathetic. It's essentially just another friends list.
There is no reason to be in a guild in DDO except for the guild chat and guild members online status updates.

4 - DDO's Crafting system is horrible. I don't see the point in running The Shroud 500 times for a Greensteal item I don't care about and makes you stupidly overpowered, except in the last 2% of the game.
If I wanted to trade collectables, I'd steal my little brother's Pokemon card collection -_-

5 - Need I go on?... World map is tiny, VIPs are getting less and less but charged more and more, some store items are WAY overpriced (hearts of wood etc), useless in-game support, useless out of game support, ranged archers are pointless, PVP is unbalanced.... *sigh*




I wasn't too sure what to expect when I played DarkFall, but was very surprised.

Gameplay is fast paced during solo combat but requires a lot more strategy during group battles.
Harvesting, crafting and other related tasks are a lot slower so you can play at your own speed.
Group PVP is the main staple of the game. But I found a, mainly, PVE clan within 2 hours of playing.
The downside is the use of a janky ruleset. Being so use to the D&D rules (and soup for brains) has meant it's taken a little longer to get use to, but it's based on fairly generic terms such as mana missile, eldritch blast etc.

Death is tough in DarkFall.
You can be attacked in every area of the game, except player houses... Which makes for fun hunting / gathering trips
My favourite part, so far, is the cost of death. If.... When you die, your corpse is lootable by anyone. No rez shrine, no buddie to carry your sorry butt home. Just a happy camper with all your gear. So hot foot it back to your grave to pick up your loot, without getting spanked again! But the happy camper with your loot may be waiting for you to return!

Graphics are great and there are a variety of mobs / animals to kill and play with.
Some of the wilderness is a little repetative, but it's still great looking.
Most buildings and structures are very unique in appearance with massive castles, villages in trees, wastelands etc.
The map is huge and takes about an hour to ride across (horseback) but has many towns, settlements and other points of interest to find.
There are no loading screens, which is refreshing!

Crafting is exactly that. Crafting.
You have to cut wood, then make timber, then add with other resources and refine into items.
You don't need to find X items in random chests to combine

Clans have shared banking which I think is the absolute minimum DDO should be adding in an upcoming update.
Housing is available for those lucky enough to find or grind it. You can own several types of property and invite friends to allow them access. You can also craft furniture and extensions etc




My review of some other MMOs, such as EVE Online and DarkFall Online, has opened my eyes.
All in all, I think DDO is a great game and don't dislike it.
I just believe it is missing a few basic requirements of a modern MMO.
I will be downgrading my account to Premium untill Turbine fixes a few issues and adds some content.

Come on Turbine.
In general, D&D players have a higher than average intelligence. We're nerds dammit.
Don't assume we will hang around after you dumb the game down for the masses or charge the VIPs for stuff that should be included in the subscription. -_-


-Rep away.

i did give u negative rep man even though i do agree with many of your points. i would love to see guild housing and guild banks, and i would love to see crafting using the things we all find everyday....gems. however if you liked it there as much as you say then i doubt you would post about it here. i think you probably like some of those features over there and wish turbine had them here. but i doubt the whole "im playing another game unless you get your act together turbine" act is going to work at all.

[chester99]

Crafting is exactly that. Crafting.
You have to cut wood, then make timber, then add with other resources and refine into items.
You don't need to find X items in random chests to combine

that's what ddo needs? more wood working? maybe a leather punch? basket weaving ftw!

sigh.... any "modern mmo" containing a mechanic of that nature is a game that needs to be deleted from my pc....

[lutherl]

that's what ddo needs? more wood working? maybe a leather punch? basket weaving ftw!

sigh.... any "modern mmo" containing a mechanic of that nature is a game that needs to be deleted from my pc....

I kinda have to agree with that one.

I've never really liked crafting.

Player/guild housing were interesting to me for a while in SW:G and EQ2. How, I see them just as a drain on resources (monetary, server and manpower). I'm sure others will disagree.

And that's the point. Not everyone is going to agree as far as what makes a "modern MMO".