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My Exp in DnL :S
CognetoJoe
Member Posts: 446
This game seems very much like Vanguard, Specially the sky map. Seems almost identical at times. The game looks pretty nice but notice some serious lag issues and very very choppy animation right off the bat.
The Quest system is pretty cool though and the dialog , though not as rigid as 2moons , is clear to understand the quest objective. The landscape looks great when your standing still but when you move around the textures and terrian constantly reform which is very annoying and it causes tremendous amounts of video lag. The constant rendering of the terrian is the biggest problem I have so far, and hope that they can improve this with maybe a new way of doing it.
So far I'm Impressed with the game but would like to see some kind of reworking of the renderers to get things running smoother and more effiently.
Until I get higher level and reach a different area of the world I can't say if the game deserves all the bad press, I'm talking about the game only, not the publisher , developer or the riff raff, I am strictly looking at the game for what is presents, and so far it is a huge world with tons to explore for me and it is a great pace change from 2 moons 
Comments
I got to say , what a waste of land mass. Seriously, I'm running around this game and just jaw dropping everywhere. It is really "grand" inn all aspects of the word, and can't believe the developers just couldn't pull it together for the fans
Running around the game , there is a sense of abandonment somewhere in the developer circle, and I hope snailgames can fix that feeling and finish this hugely masses project.
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The game runs pretty smooth , animations needs work, the terrian rendering needs work and over all content, but I jkind oflike just exploring too, and this game lets me explore A LOT .... I played PE in 2001 or 2002 and I liked to run around, but this game lets me run and actually find quests deep inside the land masses, it is fun for me.
I hope Snailgames realizes that there is a gem in the rough here .
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I like the Diplomacy in this game. It is a lot more natural then Vanguards card game .....
Sony Online Entertainment Steals Customers Money
That's a problem I find, people didn't get to far into the game before they gave up on it, so giving the system a try doesn't hurt to see what actually can be done with it. .... something a beta tester should of been doing instead taking the game out on a free test drive .
There is 100 levels ?
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In order to build forts, a player must have attained an FXP AND an SXP level of 20. To maintain and improve that fort requires resourses acquired from holdings. To obtain a holding, a player needs to have attained an FXP AND a CXP of 20. It is a rather intricate system of support and communities. These are the minimum requirements for a Barony fort, to build Duchy forts or Kingdom forts requires a lot more.
The problem, (again), is a lack of players to build up and maintain such an inter-dependant system. Players may join the fort or holding's support community which allows them to participate in the defense of those locations, but there are simply too few players to make the system work effectively.
In addition, SXP is very hard to come by. Doing the initial quests from the newbie starting areas will get your SXP to the low 20's range, which is sufficient to build a Barony fort. However, the number of quests available outside of the starting areas, and the amount of FXP / SXP recieved as a reward for completeing them drops off very sharply.
The only really effective way to gain SXP is by joining a guild, (the larger the better). Guild members share in the SXP gained by all members of the guild (even when they are logged off). However, there are only a handful of large functioning guilds, and even they are small compared to the numbers needed to gain significant SXP.
As has been stated elsewhere, the game was structured around the premis that the players would be generating most of the game's content through the building, defense, and siege of player-built forts and player-run kingdoms. It would function well if the player base were larger. How much larger would it need to be? Probably 3-5 times the present numbers would allow for a minimal level, but really about 6-7 times the current level to function normally. It is unlikely that those numbers can be reached.
There are a number of existing holdings and forts (especially in Ysatis' Kingdom, which the Light side dominate), but as a player starting from scratch, it is an uphill battle; not impossible by any means, but no walk in the park either.
That's a problem I find, people didn't get to far into the game before they gave up on it, so giving the system a try doesn't hurt to see what actually can be done with it. .... something a beta tester should of been doing instead taking the game out on a free test drive .
There is 100 levels ?
Guess what, pal? The beta testers did do their job. At the end of beta, everyone was told that a BIG patch was being rolled out cumalatively to fix everything. Guess what? Nope, another lie by Farlan to placate the increasing frustration of people who had already paid for the POS, and seen that nothing was close to done.
Do not speak about that which you do not know. You'll fare alot better.
Edit: And do me a favor. Don't PM me again unless I ask you to.
I am on a pretty neat quest now that is taking me through some of the southern region of the game, last night the character animation worked smoothly , but I know that will not be the case all the time.
The landscapes are pretty sweet but again it just feels abandoned in the aspect of sculpting and refining,.
Some of the small things I enjoy like the head moving when you look around as well as how he slows down when he runs towards a big cliff or hill, it makes me feel like he is climbing, it would be cool to see some type of climbing animation in the future.
Thanks for the info on the Forts, it will be a long journy to get one and to find players to held defend !
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A beta tester should also presumably not be lied to by the developers about what features are already in the game and what features aren't, so he knows what he should be testing, and how it's supposed to work. Since DnL's website goes into zero detail about any of the mechanics of the game, it's quite a daunting task here.
there is info here on some aspects www.darkandlight.com/en/thegame/, pretty standard for any mmo to list. The thing that detracts from the knowledge base is the lack of community input and community ran web portals, where 9 times out of 10 for any mmo is where you obtain all the needed information for the player base.
Playing DnL is not going to be easy because the information is still be formed as players slowly advance, but then again , it is very exciting for me to be in a position where I can have an impact on creating a positive roll on what was such a distaster of a start up .
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There are only five kingdoms which are playable in the game (out of a total of thirteen). Of those five, only two are PvP kingdoms:
The Kingdom of Fikmalk in Agnar's Realm (but almost exclusively refered to as simply Agnar's Kingdom). This is to the north and is adjacent to the Dark Realm, and the Kingdom of Ysatisfea in Ysatis' Realm; (but likewise, simply called Ysatis' Kingdom), which is north of the Realm of Light.
Such PvP as does occur happens in those two kingdoms, as do almost all GM events. Currently the new players are only in their 20's, (mostly) which is too low to be wandering about in blissful ignorance in those areas. The MOB levels are typically 10-20 levels higher in those realms than what the typical '20 something' can fight.
On occasion the population in these areas may show increased activity, from a GM event or from two guilds conducting a siege, but mostly you will see the majority of players in the other three kingdoms. If the population continues to increase, and players stay with it, you will start to see those demographics shift.
For a long while the Light players dominated in both numbers and defended Baronies. Most of the GM events over the past months have been aimed at trying to build up the Dark Realm, and so Agnar's Realm has had a greater number of activities. I would guess that is the reason you saw some population increase there.
Currently I believe the scales have tilted toward the Dark Realm, but the majority of them are still at a relatively low level.
As you yourself have noted, players from one Realm may enter the opposing Realm, but pay a crippling penalty to do so. So, it is really only practical to go to a specific location for the purchase of a griffon, say, and then to gate back. Hunting there is out of the question.
You know, people keep claiming that the beta ended, but beta doesn't end just when someone says it does. It ends when the software is stable, is feature-complete, and (provided those are true) is devoid of function-breaking bugs. The current state of this game fails every point on the checklist for upgrading from beta to release candidate, and not a few points on the checklist for upgrading from alpha to beta. It's more of a multiplayer tech demo than anything, really.
At the end of beta as declared by Farlan. The game was the same POS you're playing when it was in beta. It is the same POS you're playing in release. That's what everyone needs to understand. The game was RELEASED (paid subscriptions and the whole nine yards) this way.
Nothing, he's purely flamebaiting and trolling. That's what even makes it sadder.
The Sky map is pretty cool as well. I like how it is 2 toned gradient .
Think this is the style of mmo I want to play, it imore relaxing then anything I've played, and it feels good to be inside a "world." I can run along the beach and see miles around me and it is just awesome for me. People who like to grind mobs and max level won't find any of that here, and I reallt feel there is something here that people just don't realize.
I know it is not popular to like this game, but frankly I don't care. I try new games all the time and this is probably ranking up on the best f2p play games .
The thing hindering it is the baggage of the old community and the baggage of spiteful people, but as long as the developers have learned from there mistake, which is yet to be seen , I will try and be a positive and help the community rebuild itself.
Mark my words , once the developers do some shady crap , I will be the first to post about.
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You are correct. Everything to the east of the central mountain spine is closed for play, as well as the realms to the west in the ocean. This is probably a good thing, (though you may not think so).
The game map that IS accessible is easily 3-4 times the size of Vanguard, and dwarfs all other fantsey MMOs. The only MMO I know of that *may* be larger in land area is WWII online.
However, since we are talking about an active player base of 100-200 players (only half of whom may be on at any given time), wandering around in a game world the size of New Jersey, well, you see what I mean. If you feel constrained by the size of the world, then I don't know what I can tell you. Many have already criticized the game for being a 'great wide open', empty of players or substanative content. To nearly triple it's already huge size without a corresponding increase in players..........
Unless they win their court case with VWorld, and a company with much deeper pockets than Farlan takes it over, I doubt you will ever see the rest of the world.
Again, I will reiterate: the design premis was that the Realm vs. Realm PvP system would generate the content to keep players engaged. What little game-generated content there is was more or less just a back-drop, and is not, nor ever has been, enough to 'carry' the game content-wise. Unfortunately the PvP system has fallen apart due to lack of players. In a vast world the size of Ganareth, this lack of players is even MORE pronounced than a smaller game the size of DAoC, which does not lean so heavily on the players to provide their own content.
The original concept was flawed from it's inception, and (I suspect) was wishful thinking on the part of the designers as a way to produce a game 'on the cheap' so to speak.
Pix would perhaps know more about that than I would, though I believe his responsibilities when he was with DnL had more to do with the terrain engine, (well, duh!), than the design philosophy concerning content. I also think he came in to DnL at a time further along than when those decisions occured. Perhaps he might be able to shed some light on it though.
A PvP dependant game + a vast world + a very small player base + a 'small pockets' company + an abysmal reputation + lawsuits = DnL as it now stands.
It's future is 'iffy' at best.
However, I enjoy it for the aspects that intrigue me. The vastness of the world is an aspect that I enjoy. As a roleplayer, the world is more or less an open pallette upon which to paint, and I have a higher frustration level than most I suppose, so I am content.
Not too many share my point of view though, but I am happy to help those that want to give it a try. If it is not your cup of tea you will know in fairly short order.
If I can help, contact me in game. Triffyn, (or Veon), for the Light side. Einion for the Dark side.
I hope it succeeds in the lawsuit, there is a tremendous amount of "potential " here to go wasted. I am completely hooked on this concept and waiting to see DnL to pull a rabbit out of hat.
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After I hit level 20 , I am going to go explore and see what land mass is available to play . I think they where hoping for people to beable to build in the areas the "may" be vblocked off, cause It seems like player driven world much like Shadowbane,
Sony Online Entertainment Steals Customers Money
I am not sure exactly what happened to Farlan, or when.
I am inclined to believe that it started before a single player started beta testing SoG. It was a small company trying to produce a massive cutting-edge game with 'third generation' features. They simply weren't up to the task. The experience, resources, and finances just weren't there. By this time though they were committed, and more or less had to push forward. They opened up beta in mid-December '05 after several postponements, and after a long closed beta.
The game was in terrible shape. But rather than opening up a dialogue, and keeping everyone informed of what was going on, and what the problems were, they kept quiet. They may have been stonewalling, and trying to bluff their way through it, or there may have been a language / translation problem, or they may simply not have had the time, resources, experience, or organizational structure to communicate effectively.
NPCube was doing the graphics, BigWorld (itself in a type of beta condition), was doing the servers, Alchemic Dream handled the community, and Click and Buy was doing the billing. Too many chiefs, and not enough indians? A cumbersome 'fuzzy' organizational structure? Too many inexperienced compnaies and technologies? Too many financial investors clamouring for a release date? A CEO backed into a corner? A breakdown of interdepartmental communication? No overall supervision or direction? All of the above?
They probably realized that they were in over their heads in rather short order. They had two choices: admit their limitations, scale back the project, (or scrap it), or press on and 'hope' that the problems could be worked out 'somehow', and in the meantime present a bold public face and stonewall. They chose the latter.
The SoG beta was in real bad shape, (trees floating in mid air, MOBS attacking that could not be attacked back, etc.) After 6 months it was obvious that the game needed at least another year (or more) to fix. But because of external pressures from investors and the raised expectations of the gaming public (which thay had done to themselves), they decided to release last summer: with disasterous results.
They have been making progress in fixing a number of things, (all of which *should* have been in place before release), but there are a number that remain. I honestly believe that over the next year that *most* of those remaining bugs and glitches will get fixed as well. The problem is that by that time, (assuming the company can remain viable for that long), the character / armor models, the UI, the annimations, customization features, (which were already somewhat obsolecent), will be completely out of date. Now that in and of itself is not fatal, I mean UO is still chugging along at a steady 75,000 - 100,000 subscribers, but couple that with the horrible reputation that the game and company has, well---
I'm sorry you have been disappointed, and find the game in it's current, (how do I say this graciously?), 'rough' state is not your thing, but it's completely understandable. If you choose to stay, then you have my admiration, if not, then perhaps we shall meet again---maybe in Cimmeria.
If The developers can pull off there initial idea of player content with pvp ect, they will not need to worry to much about things a few tweaks of a shader can take of. With the Character customization , it is just about on par with anything that has been released in 2007.
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1. The same people who are managing Codemasters Titles like LotRO and RF online are managing DnL.
2. They sold the game to snailgmaes and "it seems" they been slowly plucking away at it. With oput player support , how can they fix bugs ? Yet everyone hoot and hollers bngs , bugs. Guess what, you got to get inside the game, find the bugs and help, It takes a core community for a game to work, you saw how a core community pushed LotRO out the door, DnL needs that ...and when the Billing error happened, instead of being rational adults, everyone ran around with there heads cut off yell SCAM SCAM, Why would anyone want to give people there money back if they are just going to trash your game anyway. F 'em
3. This game is beyond any other land mass game ever made. It the best mmorpg system I've playied on and nothing can compares to this games open world. Not even Vanguard can compare to the shear mass that this game can throw around.
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It will takes years for them to stabalize the core parts, but when and if they do , and get the pvp and fort stuf working to it's fullest potential, it will or could be the greatest mmorpg ever made for fans of open pvp/siege and player content elements. Regaurdless of the past , there is over 1 billion people who never hear of this game , and if the do new marketing when the time is right (2008) you can see a very wicked competition brew between the 2 already "popular" title WaR and Aoc and out of left field you could see a return of DnL.
If people wouldn't be so selfish, they could of had the greatest game ever made for an mmorpg , but instead core developers left the company to start a tyrant of B.S. that lead to the and early crash of what again I say. the greatest mmorpg ever made.
I don't care what anyone says, I'm playing the game now and there is more potentail then anythingI've ever beta tested, period.
<Mod Edit>
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I think everyone, (supporters and detractors alike), would agree that the concepts originally envisioned for DnL had, (have), huge potential. The problem is whether or not that potential can actually translate into production. So far it has not. And it is not just DnL that has fallen short either. Vanguard envisioned many of the same potential features as DnL, and a few others as well. But like DnL, it too has foundered upon the reality that it's not all that easy to do.
I am not convinced that the technology game companies need, and the hardware players need, are quite up to the demands that such innovations require. Certainly bits and pieces are there, and it is getting closer, but it still may be a year or two off.
It was a bold first step, but the sad truth is that Farlan just could not, and ultimately cannot fulfill that vision. I do not share the view held by many that Farlan deliberately tried to cheat their customers, (and yes, I too was billed by the company months after I had cancelled). But I try not to attribute to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence, inexperience and ignorance.
I think Farlan *may* survive as a company, and DnL *may* continue as a game, but even if they do, I do not think they will ever be able to deliver on what they promised the players they could. More's the pity.
It will remain for some other company to actually produce a game with the concepts envisioned for DnL. Presently there are several smaller companies with games in development that will try to incorporate many of the same or similar features as DnL or Vanguard. I wish them well, and will see what they come up with, but it will probably take a major player that has the resources required to finally pull it off successfully.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying the game, or hoping it will improve. I share those hopes, but I am a realist as well, and I doubt it will come down that way.
Their reach exceeded their grasp.
The wouldn't have remade the website if the game was done. Nore would the continue this free to play. I think you let the haters get to you , I know I am knew to the game, I just feel , until the servers are shut down , then we can say all the doom and gloom. What this game needs is positive. Look for the positive things in the game to talk about. The biggest positive ,is blatant, the woorld mass and veiwing range, unmatched by even today 's mmos ....
Another positive is , I feel like it is an adventure, there is no clear path to take and there hundreds of miles of land mass to explore. I love exploring and it is like a Fantasy simulator almost
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So far I am level 20 and I'm going exploring !
Doesn anyone know how to deploy the hang glider ? I bought on but there is lack of information online on how it works, again you see the lack of community means lack of information. This will changed in the next few months.
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1. When I said "managing" I meant player support and back-end bug fixing. Not GM events. That's just fluff, and it has nothing to do with running the game.
2. Snailgame is a Chinese scam factory. Also, nobody ever sold the game. Snailgame and NPCube entered into a "license and distribution agreement". That doesn't imply a transfer of ownership.
3. Other MMORPGs don't make worlds as large as this one, not because they can't, but because it's not a good idea to do so. For example, right now the playable size of the world is actually a disadvantage for this game. Also, when you say "not even Vanguard" it sounds like you're placing it on some sort of pedestal, as though it is in some way special among online games. As far as I can discern, it's not.
That's all interesting, taken as hype, but the reality of the game is nowhere near it.
We all have different perceptions of this game. I am positive towards the game. Unless your playing the game right now, it is hard to take any opinion from someone on the outside of the game world . I'm inside the game world reporting out to you . I see a huge ammount of opotential , but no one wants to give a INDEPENDENT developer the benefit of the doubt, no matter of the companies history, For the most part I've not seen to many bugs beside clunk character animation and the infrequent lag .
I do have one bug so far, the shader for the meduim and low setting are bug, and I'm trying to brainstorm and google why this is happening, it can be a combination of my video card and a corrupted DLL . The one thing I am not doing about this bug is screaming with my head cut off and spamming useless forums around the web about something that a little time and effort can fix.
The sky is not falling , so get over it
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I follow 20 games a year which contain concepts that have huge potential. Just this year Shadowpool closed its doors. Trials of Ascension, if made properly, would have made this game, even if it had also been made properly, look like a stupid kid's toy. But it was also mismanaged, and will probably never get beyond where it is now. As much as I liked the idea of ToA, I got the impression that Brax is a jackass when it comes to important decisions, and also when it came to keeping the community informed. At least he never released his game in an incomplete state and tried to bill for it, in a feeble effort to raise more money to finish the game.
There's no necessary connection between potential and success in an industry where the name of the game is attracting investors with lofty promises before you can do anything else.
Sony just did the same thing with Vanguard ? How is SOE any different from Farlan, which is an Indie company laying everything they have on the line to make this work ? While SOny had the resources to hold development for atleast another year but decided to push Vanguard out to raise cash ?
I see no reason why SOE gets lets of the hook so fast and an Indie company hhas to Die 1000 deaths before they are even remotely looked at again, Makes little sense to me ... ?
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Equip it, stand on a slope, and press the action button. I remapped it to 'z'. The in-game help window actually gives detailed instructions on this point, and you can read them any time in the options menu.
thanks !:) Freaking Hang Gliding in an moo ! Innovative ? I think so .....
Sony Online Entertainment Steals Customers Money
Hang gliding rocks me !
Sony Online Entertainment Steals Customers Money