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Man, Mortal Online is absolutely terrible!
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You don't need to. It will be a 20 page message, that doesn't fit in a spoiler.
Seriously, the gratest problem of Mortal is the quality.
Secondly, it is the PvP focus combined with a full loot system, that prevents players from doing anything sandbox related.
The combination of that has driven me to draw my Mortal experience in a pic (Already posted it here a while ago):
Sadly, i like the ideas of the game and WANT it to work :-(
For the OP, MO deosnt have a good tutorial. Thats the truth. Same problem as DF.
Sorry man, but if you're not willing to learn, its better to skip it before a full day cuz your brain probably can't handle that kind of learning curve.
I can only ask you to try and join a clan to learn from the best. You had to do the same in DF and in most sandbox mmo's.
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It really shouldn't take a full day, half a day, or a work day to learn a game.
You can learn the Sims in an hour. You can learn Minecraft in an hour. You can learn Skyrim in an hour or two as well.
Do you really think that the simple idea of throwing more players into the world makes the learning curve of a sandbox explode out of control?
Or maybe it's the idea that the companies making the Sandbox MMOs lack the skill in making the new user experience fun and allow players to learn at the same time.
It's a bit ironic actually, they believe they can make a fun video game, but can't even make it fun when you first login.
I would have to agree, its like saying calculus is really fun once you learn it. A game is supposed to be FUN and interesting from the MOMENT you start playing. A player should not have to breech some massive learning curve only to find out at that point if indeed the game is any good, or fun.
A well designed game will give a player feedback if they are doing something wrong, or an NPC will communicate with a player on what it takes to buy or sell to them.
Because of this lack of player feedback the game feels cold,dead and unfinished.
I dont think its a case of lacking the skill needed to make the newbie experience, but lacking the funds and time to implement a tutorial up to this point. The tutorial in MO isnt poor, there is no tutorial since they have not made any attempt to create one for the game up to now. It hasnt been their priority by the looks of things. So the game has a very difficult learning curve with no tutorial by choice of the devs because they havent focused on that aspect of the game.
When i asked henrik about gaining more subs last year and worknig on easing new players into the game, at the time his response was that trying to get more subs, advertisng and helping new palyers understand the game was not a priority at that time. They were more focused on getting cotnent into the game and core mechanics as well as fulfilling past promises to the community. Seemed to me like they are being funded just enoguh to keep MO going at this level for as long as they need to. Maybe after awakening they will actually focus on making a tutorial or some form of help.
there are 2 types of mmo, imitators and innovaters.
Well, at least they could have implemented written books for example, that describes what the skill that you will learn from that book will do and how you use it. What you get today (or when I have played last year) is books that have a one liner as description or simply NO description. There really is no excuse for things like that, you can't legitimate that 'approach' when on the other hand things like horse pee is implemented. It's just a handfull of text, no way that this can't be accomplished regarding time.
The game does not work without the forum. Basically you are not in game most of the time, because you are looking for some hints somewhere in teh interwebz. Good gamedesign? I don't think so.
It's the same problem with things like in game chat: It's a nice idea dev-wise to say: We want people to talk face to face ingame, but it is a fact, that this is not how it works in reality. People are using IRC or external chat tools, and play the game in windowed mode. No one runs through the wilderness without a map to a town where he thinks his friend COULD be to talk to him IF he is online.
Gameplay and usability is always > realism.
The problem with Mortal is, that you can't say that Starvault learns anything from user behaviours. They have a vision, but not the skills to recognize that there are changes necessary regarding the user experience. I want to play a funny game, but the game is not fun (but it could be), and no one in the crew seems to realize that.
One of my biggest issues with indie MMOs is you end up with an engineer or 3D programmer designing the UI. It doesn't matter how in-depth or cool your crafting/farming/taming/combat features are, if the controls for said systems are clunky and unusable it nullifies any innovations or fun factor they should have.
Setting the default move keys to HPZ' instead of WSAD doesn't make your game more sophisticated or only for "people with patience", it is just stupid. Same with using any other UI /control scheme that isn't "familiar".
"If MMORPG players were around when God said, "Let their be light" they'd have called the light gay, and plunged the universe back into darkness by squatting their nutsacks over it."
-Luke McKinney, The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming
"In the end, SWG may have been more potential and promise than fulfilled expectation. But I'd rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
-Raph Koster
games controls are pretty straight forward once you know them, move with wasd, jump with space, open cursor mode with z, inventory with i, bring up cursor with tab and sprint with shift. Then o for spell book, p for profile and l for skill window. x to sheeth unsheeth sword, its now more complex than Dayz controls. Quite straight forward really. Its jsut that a new player isnt gonig to know whats what when he starts.
there are 2 types of mmo, imitators and innovaters.
Why not? Because you said so?
No. It's the old gaming paradigma: Easy to learn, hard to master. Mortal does fail on this one.
well i wouldnt say it fails at it since its made no atempt at it. But the game is both difficult to learn and hard to master currently. although not as difficult to learn as eve was back in the day, which is sort of proof a developer can turn that aronud once they spend time on it since eve today is a rather easy game to learn thanks to its indepth tutorials. However if SV can actually do that is another matter entirely.
there are 2 types of mmo, imitators and innovaters.
Take two copies of the same game
One takes 24 hours to learn how to play, the other 1 hour. Which is the better game?
We certainly wouldn't say "They are both equal", because they are not. It's a basic fundamental principle that games that allow you to have fun while you learn are better than those that don't
Heres a great video explaining new player experience.
What you seem to forget, is the fact that MO has no level. Unlike DF, its a real 0 level cuz if you got the knowledge, you can maxout a character in 2 days or less than a week.
What if wow had 0 level and you were instantly like a level 85? Newb's would be confuse as hell with all these skills to place in their hot bar and talent tree to chose. In BG's they would be forced to compete with the vets. They would probably quit and move on to rift just because of that.
So while its hard to learn and master MO, it won't take you 2 or more months to not only catch up to other players, but to also master the game. If you join a clan, it won't take you more than a month to learn cuz they will guide you all the way. In MO, you're not suppose to be a solo newbs. Solo players in a sandbox like this are doomed to quit.
Its a social game for a reason so learn from the best.
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Easy to learn or difficult to master doesnt mean much when the game is still a half baked alpha after 2 years since release.
Was really disspointed seeing these review after so long...i actually forgot the game and felt a bit of excitement clicking here to check in since its been so long.
When the reviews jog my memory of why i left and went to that other sandbox with fun combat and stayed there for years...well mabey ill check back here in another 2 years?
Oh and is it still the case where theres like 10 diffrent mob spawn in the giant world all spread out and everyone just camps around the town chopping wood and banging rocks since theres not much else to do? Oh and if you roll anything other than...think it was called halfling...well the one race with the actually beautiful starter area (rest sucked)..are you still treated to a silent and lonely world? Or have people branched out and started rolling other races?
And final question..if i were to join again would i have to use this site or the games forum to actually communicate with people? Really saw no need and no benefit to the super restrictive chat where i couldnt even find anyone to chat/assist...and its a huge turn off for people looking for a little nudge in the right direction in game. I remember i was told to reroll (yeah in a sandbox..) since i had chopped too many trees and would gimp my combat...since i couldnt find anything to combat (other than afk tree choppers)
well MO is currently awaiting its Awakening expansion which for many people will finally bring MO up to the quality and core mechancis it should of been at at release. Sort of a second release for the game. Heres some information on it so make up your own mind if you should try it again afterwards or wait antoher 2 years..
http://www.mortalonline.com/news
http://www.mortalonline.com/forums/threads/an-interview-with-henrik.74695/
http://www.mortalonline.com/forums/threads/focus-group-update-8-tindrem-screen-shots.75393/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4VhP-8fEPqc
thats pretty much everything we know about the expansion and its still very wip as you can tell.
there are 2 types of mmo, imitators and innovaters.
Can somebody explain how water physics work in that screenshot? How did they manage having completely different incline line on the water surrounding buildings than the horizon..
i think its more of an optical illusion created by the buildings being slanted in the ocean. Makes you think the ocean isnt level. Also the outskirts of the players view in MO have always been slightly fisheyed. They are apparently experimenting with each build to get the right look on the ocean this is no more since it was ocnsdiered to bright. But the oceans now have a more realistic movmeent to them, like waves from what im told of the test server.
there are 2 types of mmo, imitators and innovaters.
game has always been tough for solo players, i should know i played the game for 7 months and all through beta as a solo player, until i was asked to join invictus after winning a fight with thier guild leader, i was in leather scout armour with a flakestone sword, he was in full ironbone with a tungsteel one and happened at the pass into GK.
But alot of the community are hoping that the Trade Broker who is a new npc coming with awakening will allow players to sell their wares, they choose what they want to sell and set a fixed price for it. So that solo players should have easy access to items and resources they cannot get themselves with only 3 char slots. Combined with mobs dropping weapons and armor for example the guards drop their equipment and so do the risars and bandits. Should make it much easier and actually killing things should be a valid proffesion without having to resort to selling to a butcher or having one yourself.
Game is always going to be harder to play solo though, so was UO and even SWG. Since pvp and especially full loot making working together a far safer option.
there are 2 types of mmo, imitators and innovaters.
Yeah, that should help alot. As long as they not implement it as bad as the mail man (Logout / Login to see send stuff, dupes etc.)
yea lol, the mail guy has always been the one to end up breaking after every patch. Poor guy hopefully this time they spend enough time on making sure the trade broker and mail vendor are working 100% before going live. But from what i recall dawn was pretty much rushed out were as this seems to be taking its sweet time.
there are 2 types of mmo, imitators and innovaters.
If that will be the case and the quality is okay, I will try it another month or two for sure.
same, i will return as well if i feel the expansion lvies up to expectations.
there are 2 types of mmo, imitators and innovaters.
Because Mortal Online is a product. There are plenty of competing products out there that are demonstrably entertaining. Mortal Online on the other hand has no apparent redeeming features that would ever compell me to sink hours or days as well as money into understanding how to even begin to play the game. Vague curiosity carried me through 3 hours of Mortal Online a year ago with absolutely no progress. On the other hand, you can create a free trial for Eve Online and work through their collection of tutorial missions and at the end of a few days you will have a reasonable cache of currency, a few ships and ok starter gear and the knowledge of how to actually progress in the game.
Yet there is nothing out there that looks and plays like it, so IMO, it is worth trying to figure out. It has little competition in the scheme of things, but is extremely hard to market because most folks want triple-A results in their games. Indie is a hard sell, any way you look at it.
Plus, It's just not the kind of game for an 'instant gratification' type, nor the 'what do I do now?' folks.
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