Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
My thoughts
It's interesting. It's a novelty. The way they do levels is pretty neat, and quite well done. The way weapons work, and are balanced is ok, but the game offers little in the way of totally unique content.
It’s like almost any pixie dust MMO, just a little different. If this game came out 6 years ago, it would be a classic today. Releasing today, and I ask why?
Not saying the game is bad or anything, it is very good. The way vendors and player vendors works is very good. The combat styles and how that works is also good. The content isn’t bad. The missions are interesting. The game has a lot of good elements.
The thing is, the same can be said for two dozen other MMOs also. This is a flooded market by a mile.
Does 9Dragons do something that is so much better, or so new or so revolutionary to draw in a new, untapped audience? IMHO : No.
Does 9Dragons have some revolutionary concept, or graphics, or content item to pull people away from long term solid games such as the EQ series? IMHO : No.
Am I going to drop EVE for this? HELL NO.
Am I going to play this rather than DDO, or Pirates of the burning sea, or Age of Conan, or Star Trek Online, all of which have some new unique aspect I want to check out? No.
Comments
Things start off a little slow and confusing, but this is common of most games these days. Once you are happy with the navigation and familiar menu and shortcuts layout, things start to roll. However, I played this game for about 2 weeks though and then got board, the relentless bashing of freeley available bots doing only 1 or 2 moves, then resting, then fighting , then resting. With only 2 or at the most 3 quests per level, the plot is thin and unexcited.
A good concept and well built game but some serious work needs to be done on the questing side, relentlessly repeating yourself gets boaring for most of use...
Live long... In peace...
err i think it's much earlier around 45+ that's when the grind kicks you in the face
but it's f2p
and i am not gonna waste my time grinding
You got good points, but you are comparing a F2P game with P2P games, which OF COURSE must have something extra duo the fee you pay (or it would be worthless pay a monthly fee for what u can get for free).
As a FREE to play game, 9 Dragons is be far one of the best around. But yes, it has flaws if you are a 24/7 nerd it will end like ALL other F2P mmorpgs (and most P2P) : grindfest.
In my opinion, it is one of the top 3 F2P mmorpgs around (beside 2moons and Rappelz).
Best around, are you on something, if so can i have some.
Voyage Century leaves 9 Dragons in the dust.
VC is also free to play but you dont have stupid adverts blocking out the screen and timed missions that are almost immpossible because the timer keeps running while you transition between regions.
VC has both land and sea adventures and also harvesting and manufacturing.
Theres no gameguard stuffing up your computer or causing weird things to happen.
I think you might want to try a few more games before you claim 9D is the best around. I admit it has some very nice aspects but it has some major setbacks as well. Overall the downside far outways the bells and whistles in it.
Btw, i played: silkroad, sof, last chaos, corum, rappelz, priston tale, 9dragons, tantra, Wyd, goonzu, flyff and some others. Cant be much, but it gives me some good views about f2p mmorpgs.
so you put 9dragons weak points, them i will set some strong points, not counting the pvp system that will come in this month:
1 - nice npc interaction;
2 - nice skill development (no fixed skill tree, no dummie skill points);
3 - nice atribute system (rare today in F2p to see a game with a D2 like atrib. system);
4 - Itens variety (normal, with atributes, socket and refining);
5 - grinding is "acceptable" (combat moves are one of the best around for F2P, not all quest are grind 1000 monsters);
6 - nice sound;
7 - char customization (face/hair/ male/female).
now, you state Game guard as a problem, well, if there werent the cheaters / hacker/ botters and assholes that are around, a hack prevent system wouldn´t be necessary. So better play a game which has some hack shield that play a game without one. so the use of Game guard is not a valid issue to say if the game is good or bad. Beside bad / weird things are happening, mostly is because the person is using 3rd party programs.
About "harvesting and manufactering" this is a personal matter, for me i dont like games where u need to spend 1000hours to harvest material to create a item (like Last War). Or worst, the resource is at point X where uber high lvl players have monopoly and kill anyone who get near.
Other point, the "timed quest" in 9Dragons have enough time to be made even if u have transposition problem. If you LAG or dont know how to use the lightfoot skill/kill the right monster them it is another matter.
Once again, i am not saying 9Dragons is the BEST UBER Z0MG F2p game around, but is one of them.
At least, beside VC which other F2P mmorpg in open beta or launched is better that 9D?
Voyage Century is a nice game, having much, much more to do than 9D's boring monster bashing. But there are several things 9D does better than VC (and most other f2p games):
1. Less pot spamming. In VC, potions are cheap so it's whoever owns most potions (and item mall stuff) wins in pvp. This is much less an issue in 9D as ginseng is a rare drop and normally available only through events/quests.
2. In 9D you can't tell someone's level by the clothes he/she wears. In VC, your armor and ship's icon betrays your level.
3. Balance issues: some items sold in VC's item shop are just too overpowering. Also in sea battle, you always start the fight with same position (i.e. head toward each other), giving players less time/space to maneuver so one with battleship has a huge advantage as its large number of cannons can one/two hit and sink anyone else. So as far as balance goes, 9D's warrior vs hybrid vs nuker system just seems better.
4. Money sink. Like many f2p games (Heroes, Rappelz etc.) VC is probably going to have serious inflation issue as time goes by with extra gold accumulating, whereas 9D players have less to worry because hefty weapon repair/refinery cost provides a great sink for extra gold.
But I do like VC's game structure, which is much harder for potential botters to take advantage of than 9D's brain-dead monster killing, not to mention VC's great crafting options and player-based economy. So both games have their good and bad points, and both being similar grindfest games with emphasis on skill grind, it just comes down to which subject matter one enjoys more.